A Done Deal
by Potterables
Summary: When Eponine is caught stealing food from her school she is told she must ingratiate herself within the school community or lose her scholarship. The Amis de l'ABC must find recruit a female member or lose their funding. But with her dark past catching up to her do the boys know what they are signing up for? A done deal-only time will tell. High School AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

The Headmaster's office was not an unfamiliar place to Eponine. She had sat in the uncomfortable dark wood chairs many times, sat in front of the imposing oak desk upon which was the golden slate bearing the name Headmaster Patterson. Eponine liked to entertain herself by counting the number of leaves on the small bonsai tree that sat upon his window ledge to the left. If this proved a bad distraction she would re-read the newspaper clippings behind the headmaster's desk which were emblazoned with the alumni achievements of the past.

At this moment in time Eponine had nowhere to look but the face of Headmaster Patterson who was waiting for a reply. As he waited, his thumb impatiently tapped against the side of his other hand, both of which were clasped on his desk. His posture was always impeccable which made Eponine think that he had been in the army once upon a time; before the dark hair on his head had turned grey and receded to leave an island of skin atop his head. He often wore black-rimmed glasses but these had been set down because of the severity of the situation at present. Eponine knew she had to speak soon, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to. Normally she would be quick to talk, knowing that she could string any person along with a tall tale that would get her off the hook. But she had been caught red-handed.

She had been stupid. She should have known that the cameras in the cafeteria would be running all night, but her hunger had made her act drastically. She'd snuck in her usual window in the back of the kitchens and made her slow way to the gigantic fridge kept in a small room just off the kitchen. And it wasn't as if the food was particularly good. That's what annoyed her the most. She'd been caught stealing for the first time in her life and it was for mediocre food that was probably a couple of weeks out of date. When she'd been called into the office as she stepped into her school she knew what had happened.

"Ms Thenardier, I will not wait for you." Patterson warned. "If you do not provide an explanation for your actions I will be forced not only to suspend you but to revoke your scholarship." Eponine's eyes, which had been trained on her lap, jumped up to meet his. "Ah," he said with thinly veiled satisfaction, "That got your attention didn't it?"

Eponine took a deep breath. "The reason," she started, "The reason I stole the food was…" She trailed off, the words stuck in her throat. She knew what would happen as soon as she told the truth. She dreaded the look of pity, the way his words would soften and he'd make his suggestions as to how to make things better. She'd never told anyone before. Not since she was seven. She hated that she'd have to break her silence. "I stole the food because otherwise I wouldn't have eaten."

Patterson sat back a little in his chair, still looking at her intensely. "No offence Miss Thenardier, but I could have told you that. I doubt you would've stole for fun…"

Eponine had to cut him off, something that he did not appreciate. "No, you don't understand." She breathed slowly in an attempt to slow the pounding in her heart. "If I hadn't of stolen that food, I wouldn't have eaten for two days."

And there it was. A sort of glaze fell over his eyes. He audibly sighed and she felt the pity drip over her, giving her the feeling of being slowed dipped into honey. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"Eponine," He began. "You mean to tell me that you are not able to eat without stealing?" Her eyes were now permanently fixed on her hands that were wringing in her lap. "I was under the assumption that you lived with your parents?"

She needed to finish this conversation already. "Look," She said trying to make her voice sound stronger than it was. "If you want to arrest me or something, do it. If you want to kick me out, do it. But I don't see how talking about my home life will help this situation."

"I want to know about your home life so that the school can help you if you need it." Patterson argued. He didn't know what to make of this girl. She had an incredible intellect-that was evident in her results at school. She attended every class and no teacher had a bad word to say about her. But other than that, she was a ghost. No one knew anything about her. She didn't seem to have any friends within the school. Whether that was because of the socio-economic differences between her and her classmates, he wasn't sure. But he did know that she had made no effort to become a fully involved member of the school. Perhaps if this changed, she would be more willing to accept help.

"Oh yeah, like they helped me and my brother by splitting us up when he was just 6 years old!" Eponine exclaimed quietly. She had been through the system before and it had spat her out worse than when she went in.

"I have a proposal for you Ms Thenardier," Patterson eventually spoke after a tense pause. "I will not be suspending you or revoking your scholarship at this time." Eponine felt relief rush through her. "But," he said and she looked at him, the feeling of elation suddenly short lived. "Only on the condition that you try to become more involved in school life. Join a few clubs, attend a few meetings, mingle you know. Try and make some friends."

Eponine blinked at him. "I steal food and all I have to do for punishment is join a club?" The headmaster nodded. "We have a deal!"

Eponine left the office with the distinct feeling of having just missed a bullet. She felt exhilarated. She had really thought she'd lost everything. This school, as bad as it was at times, was her safe haven. It kept her safe for six hours every-day and stretched her brain. She was forever indebted to the teacher who told her about the scholarship. She had been in Year 10 when her history teacher Ms Martens had pulled her into her office to discuss Eponine's so-called 'hidden potential'. For Eponine had always been very clever. She would call it shrewd. Picking out people's blind spots and being hyper aware of how people act in different situations had helped her immensely when she was just a lowly pick-pocketter in her youth. This had translated strangely into book smarts. It wasn't as if she had some kind of photographic memory or some Good Will Hunting ability at maths, she was just able to clue into exactly what the examiner was looking for. She also enjoyed working her ass off. Studying took up space in her mind that had once been filled up with some not so pleasant things.

She had received the scholarship in her eleventh year at school. Now she was mid-way into her first year at the Hugo Private School and loved the old architecture, the huge libraries and the way the teachers could push her to the heights she had always wished she'd get to. What she was less keen on were the other students.

The problem with attending a private school was that almost every other person had their own trust fund. If they weren't old money they were new money and it felt like every week there was a new type of bag that every girl _had_ to have. It was clear that Eponine did not come from any money. She wore the same blue jeans every day with the same tatty grey jumper that was slightly too small for her now. She tried hard to play it off, pretend that the side glances and raised eyebrows didn't affect her, but it was hard to be friends with a person that automatically looked down on her.

That morning she spent trying to think of one club that she could stomach. She toyed with the idea of joining the book club until she quickly remembered that it was run by Jacqueline Kay whose father was in government. Although she was unsure of Jacqueline's personality, Eponine wasn't sure if her presence near any kind of authority was a good idea. If they caught wind of who her father was, or more accurately, where her father was, it would not turn out good for her.

By lunchtime she was defeated. Sat alone at her usual lunch table she strained to see one person who looked like her. It was just as she had opened her pasta pot that the solution arrived. "Hi!" a boy from her year sat in front of her. She knew him vaguely from her English class but she hadn't paid enough attention to his name. Now, as she looked into his nice hazel eyes, she chastised her apathy.

"Hello?" She said, the greeting transforming into a question as she was so unused to company.

"Sorry, I'm Marius." He introduced himself holding out a hand. Smiling at the weird formality she shook it, noticing the incredibly expensive watch that once upon a time she would have stolen. "Patterson asked me to introduce myself to you." Her heart sank. This was a pity conversation. Walls suddenly sprung up.

"Oh, cool." She said.

"I'm from the ABC group. Patterson said that he'd demanded you join a group and I think this group would suit you." She just continued to look at him. While she detested the idea at having to have help to find a club it was a rarity to be this far in a conversation and not ready to hit him. "It's kind of a debate club. You have straight A's, we need a girl."

"You need a girl?" Eponine asked. She was studying Marius' face trying to connect the dots of his many freckles hoping that she could find some kind of pattern there.

"Yeah, we're under pressure from faculty to get a girl in the club, if we don't we may not be allowed to continue. Some kind of requirement nowadays."

"How irritating it must be to have to lower yourself to accept a girl." She meant it to sound condescending and biting but Marius just laughed.

"Exactly! That's exactly the kind of attitude that could put us lads on our arses." She smiled back at him, finding his laughter to be infectious. He had a rather wide mouth but it complemented his face. "Just come along to one meeting. Tonight, in the Musain."

She peered at him. Should she go? It would solve her biggest problem. And this guy didn't seem too bad, if she could hang out with him maybe it wouldn't be terrible. As well as this, they needed her as much as she needed them. It was a pity invite but a pity invite from both sides. She sighed and prayed she wouldn't regret this. "Okay, I'll come tonight and see if I like it."

Marius beamed at her. "Good, I'll see you then!" He got up to leave but paused. "It is Eponine isn't it?" She nodded and he smiled again. "Pretty name."

Then he was gone. She sat and ate her lunch absolutely certain that her excitement to go tonight was purely from the prospect at her school troubles being over. There was absoltuely no other reason for her excitement but a certain smile continued to creep into her mind for the rest of the day.

The Musain was a bar situated outside of the school which students often frequented. That of course meant that Eponine had never stepped a foot into it before. It was nice, the deep red walls made everything look a little darker but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. A long bar stood along the right wall and fronted a large collection of bottles of every type. Although she was no stranger to the stuff, Eponine didn't recognise half of the bottles and wasn't sure that she wanted to become too familiar with some. Groups of people dotted the bar floors. Booths lined the walls while small tables littered what possibly could be a dancefloor. Having no clue where she was supposed to go Eponine sidled up to the bar resisting the urge to down a drink to calm the nerves that flittered through her body. She felt that everyone was watching her, a stupid thought but one that plagued her.

Salvation arrived as Marius strolled through the doors. Eponine stood up suddenly and this attracted his attention. He bounded over to her. "You came!" She smiled at him feeling a little stupid at how greatly he had changed her mood. "Fantastic! Come with me, I'll show you to the meeting room." He then led her through a black door in the back which opened up to a long corridor which had multiple doors coming off of it. Marius listed off all the doors to her. This one was for wedding receptions, that one was the kitchen door, the other one led to a staircase which took you straight to the roof. Eponine wondered how many hours he had spent in this place to get as knowledgeable as he was. The door they wanted was the sixth from the pub floor. From behind it there was already the unmistakable sound of raised voices. "Looks like they started without us." Marius remarked shrugging before opening the door.

The room was relatively small, a round table took up most of the space and the eight or so boys that were occupying the room were sat around the table on an assortment of chairs. The paint was peeling and the carpet was stained, Eponine almost felt at home. As they entered the shouting stopped and they stared at her. She stared back recognising some of them from her classes. Eventually Marius broke the silence. "Well, everyone this is Eponine, Eponine this is everyone." Eponine meekly raised a hand before quickly dropping it as the boys looked at her. "I told you I'd got a girl for the club remember?" Marius prompted.

"We didn't think she'd start today!" One of the boys said. He had sandy blonde hair cut into a neat crew cut.

"Well…" Marius trailed off. "Why not have her start straight away? It's not like there's a real structure to this!"

Eponine began to panic again, they didn't want her here. She shouldn't be here. Suddenly something snapped in her. Why was she acting like this? She was a Thenardier! She had dealt with far worse than a couple of preppy boys who were dick hurt at having to take on a girl.

"I'm sorry, why are you so weird about having a girl at these little meetings? Are you afraid I can't handle it? Because I'm a girl there's no way I can possibly keep up with your staggering intellect right? Well suck it up because you need me here." The silence kept up for a little longer than she was expecting. Shit, she had ruined it. She would have to join the drama club after this, god.

"Well I guess you'd better sit down Thenardier." One boy said. He had curly black hair and was smiling, clearly amused by her outburst. The other looked at him and he rolled his eyes. "What? She's right, we need her." Eponine smiled triumphantly as a chair was pulled up for her. "And she needs us." His eyes flashed as she sharply looked at him. He winked. "The name's Grantaire. Such a pleasure."

After she had sat down all eyes automatically turned to the blonde haired man in the corner who Eponine didn't recognise. "I guess we should formally start then." He said sitting forward in his chair. By the way the others drank in every word she guessed that this would be the leader of this little club.

Then began a very intense discussion on American Gun Policy. Whatever she had been expecting, this hadn't been it. Marius had mentioned something about debate so she assumed it would be a kind of debate club. She assumed she knew how it went in clubs like that. You get a topic, split into teams and then debate it out. Competitions were attended. But this seemed to have no structure. They talked over it all for hours. Occasionally things would get heated and Enjolras, the leader would have to step in and calm things down. Although it seemed that he was just as hot-headed as his fellow debaters. Eponine found him immensely entertaining. He was so easy to read. When something annoyed him, his eyes would cloud and he'd shuffle in his seat. His eyes rolled whenever an incorrect fact was tossed around and his hands would fly around his head as he spoke. But his words were like fire. She'd never heard someone talk like him. With such confidence, with such authority. Words flew from his mouth like bullets and hit their target with pinpoint accuracy. Occasionally he would go off on a tirade and the group would just sit back and watch. Then in the wake of his speech Grantaire would make a quick quip and they would be off again.

After around two hours of debate it suddenly ended. Eponine was caught off guard, it didn't seem like there had been a winner or even a truce called. It just suddenly stopped. It was then she realised that she hadn't said a single thing the whole time. She felt herself side with a few people but could never bring herself to add anything. Marius turned to her. "So?" He asked expectantly.

"It was…" She tried to find the right words. "Interesting." She settled for ambiguity.

"You'll be back?" Enjolras asked her from across the room. He was not looking at her and so for a second she doubted whether it was to her the question was directed to.

"Yeah, I mean… I kind of have to come back." Eponine said and Marius nodded. "But it's been quite…"

"Interesting?" Grantaire ended for her smirking. "So glad we could entertain."

The room was almost empty now. Just the four of them stood in various stages of departing. Eponine looked around, not sure what to do. She didn't want to be seen to rush out but she didn't want to overstay her welcome. She brushed a hand through her hair.

"Do you need a lift home?" Marius asked suddenly.

"Oh, no thanks." She replied.

"Are you sure? I'd be happy to drop you off. You might be on my way, where do you live?" His questions came out rapid fire.

"I live on Michael's Street." She answered and Marius' eyebrows twitched with confusion. Of course he hadn't heard of her street, it was a long way from the clean streets of the elite. "It's completely out of your way, don't worry I'm fine." Marius shrugged before saying his goodbyes. Eponine walked out with him and welcomed the change of the cool air against her warm skin. The Musain was almost stiflingly hot. She dawdled a little outside of the pub, not quite ready to head back home.

"Are you sure you're okay to walk at this time?" She heard Enjolras' voice behind her. She turned to look at him. Again, he was looking away from her face. If he couldn't even stand the sight of her she wasn't sure why he was offering to walk her home.

"I'll be fine." She told him. "I've done this many times before."

"But Michael's Street is dangerous." He warned her to which she just laughed.

"No shit, I live there. But I'm so glad you warned me of the dangers of the street I've lived on since I was seven." The sarcasm dripped from her lips so easily that she forgot she should be playing nice.

"Fair enough," he said simply. "I'll see you next week then." And with that he disappeared into the darkness.

The walk back to her house was a long one made longer by the aching in her stomach. She couldn't decide how she felt about the group. They seemed as okay as Hugo kids could be. But she hadn't felt very welcomed. Ha, she thought, understatement of the century. They didn't want her there; that was made clear. By the time she was in bed she'd decided that next week she'd speak up, add something to the discussion. She didn't want to just be a token girl that was forced upon them. She would prove that she could hold her own.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

The next meeting was a little more successful. She walked straight into the back room and sat down next to Grantaire. She had studied them for the past week and had noticed that Grantaire was the key to the group. The boys loved him, he was the funny one always ready with a joke to ease the tension and if she could get in with him then the others would accept her.

"Hi." She said trying to get her voice to sound chipper.

"Hey." He said in reply. "So you came back, we weren't sure if you would."

"I figure you need me." She said nonchalantly.

He scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Like our little club becoming unauthorised is more of a threat than you being kicked out of school." She turned to him. "Oh yeah, I know everything." He raised the bottle he had in his hand to his lips.

"How?" she asked genuinely curious. "Patterson hinted that this wouldn't be common knowledge."

"Yeah but I have inside information." She sighed, it seemed as though her mission had failed. "Just so you know, there's no judgement here. We know you stole, we don't know why but we don't care. What they care about," he gestured to the boys who were beginning to pour into the room. "Is that you don't treat this like a joke. That's my job." Suddenly he was smiling at her. She might have a chance.

When Enjolras entered the chatting didn't stop but it did quieten a little. "So how did Enjolras come to be head honcho around here?" She asked and Grantaire barked a laugh.

"Head Honcho," he repeated. "I like that. I'm gonna steal that." He took a swig from the bottle again. "You heard him speak right?" She nodded. "That's why he's the leader."

It was then that Enjolras cleared his throat and silence fell. "Tonight we will be discussing a topic that up to this point we have been unqualified to talk about." Confused looks were shared between men. "Feminism." Suddenly all attention was on her. "Do we still need it?"

After a pause she realised that the question had been directed towards her. She looked around at Grantaire who gestured for her to speak before clearing her throat. "Well," She paused. "Yes." Grantaire let out a large laugh before quietening at Enjolras' glare.

"We'd appreciate it if you could perhaps elaborate on that Eponine." Enjolras told her with the tone that made her feel like a child being scolded for drawing on the walls.

"Where do I start?" She laughed. "We're paid less for the same job, we're constantly dragged down by society. If we are virgins, we're considered prudes if we enjoy sex we're sluts. The media blames us for violence towards us, our skirts were too short, we'd drunk too much that night it's our fault we get beaten and raped. Every single institution is created to put us at a disadvantage. We have to be twice as good as men to get even an ounce of respect that's handed out to any white male for taking a breath." She paused worrying that this was beginning to sound like a rant. "Imagine going to school, learning about the Prime Ministers of the country and realising that you can count on one hand people that look like you. In politics women are treated completely unfairly, our looks are just as important as our words. But you can't be too pretty or the men won't be able to get their head out of their dicks long enough to pay attention to what you're saying." She finished. She had more to say but she'd spoken for too long already.

The men around the table looked at her, she hadn't noticed but Marius must have snuck in while she was speaking and now she caught his eye and felt her cheeks redden. She'd clearly embarrassed herself and now she wanted a hole to swallow her up. "Is there any case for the notion that women aren't in politics because they don't want to be?" Enjolras eventually asked. For the first time he was actually looking at her. She returned his stare.

"I guess, but I believe they only avoid politics because they are not shown that it is an area that they can succeed in. in my experience, men are told their opinions are of value and girls are told that their value comes from their body. Either by way of making babies or looking pleasing to the male gaze."

"Your view seems to be that of an awfully cynical one." He suggested and she just shrugged.

"That's just me speaking from my experience. I've never met a man who hasn't sexualised me immediately." At the thought her stomach jolted. It was as if her throat was closing up and she became very hot all of a sudden. In the corner of her eye she thought she saw the black coat and she tried to supress the urge to jump. It seemed that Enjolras had noticed the change in demeanour as he took attention away from her by beginning a speech that led to an argument about pro-choice. Eponine tried to control her breathing, cursing herself for having this reaction. It had been a second of thought but he had such an effect on her. Grantaire slid her a glass filled with brown-ish liquid and she quickly downed it without much thought. The drink helped, her heart slowed and she allowed herself to focus on the room again.

Occasionally throughout the rest of the evening she added in a few of her thoughts but avoided big speeches again. She lost contact with Enjolras, he did not look her way again but Grantaire had begun to whisper things into her ear which made her laugh. At the end of the meeting most of the boys made a speedy exit, it had run on for longer than expected and they were expected home. "Are you okay?" Grantaire asked when the majority had left.

"Yeah," She said forcing a smile. "Why?"

"I don't know…" He said slowly. "It just felt like you had a little blip there at the beginning."

She let out a small laugh which she hoped sounded natural. "No, I'm fine!" Grantaire just nodded, not looking convinced. Eponine decided that it would be best if she made a speedy departure.

She started off down the street, pulling her jumper a little closer still not feeling fully secure. She'd been taken unawares tonight and she hated being surprised. She needed to clear her head and luckily a long walk usually did the trick. Just as she was beginning to focus on her breathing she heard footsteps behind her. As a hand touched her shoulder she whipped round and swung for the would-be assailant.

"Whoa Jesus!" She heard Enjolras cry and she quickly stopped glad that the blow hadn't hit its target. "Fuck Eponine what was that?"

"Sorry, I didn't know it was you!" She cried out in defence. "Why wouldn't you call my name or something, its pitch black!" Enjolras was still looking bewildered as she tried to explain. "How was I supposed to know you weren't some low-life?"

Understanding finally dawned on his face and he had the good idea of looking a little ashamed. "You're right, sorry I didn't think."

"Right well, I'm sorry too obviously." She stated. "What did you want to say?"

"Oh," Enjolras said having to have forgotten that he had been the one to start this lovely exchange. "Right I just wanted to make sure I hadn't made you uncomfortable tonight." She nodded. "I mean, I kind of put you on the spot without letting you think or anything and that probably wasn't… good." He trailed. Eponine found it a little amusing that a man who was so good at public speaking was coming off so terribly in this small exchange.

"It's fine." She assured him. "I appreciated that you chose to include me."

"Well, I didn't want you to think we wouldn't value your insight that we naturally lack."

"Right, well thanks."

"Well thank you."

A pause became firmly planted between them as the wind made Eponine shiver.

"Do you want me to walk you home? Seeing as you think everyone's a murderous assailant?" She laughed at that but shook her head.

"Nah, I'm used to it, I don't know if a guy with a watch like yours should be seen on my street." He quickly glanced at the silver watch gleaming on his wrist and nodded.

"Right." He said and she nodded. "I'll be off then."

She was the first to turn away, not sure why he lingered. It was the longest conversation Eponine would have with him for a while.

The next Monday couldn't come soon enough. Her weekends mainly consisted of working. Eponine would spend the mornings at the market selling fish for a local guy she had met when she was younger. It was a fine job, the smell soon lost its potency but it was thankless. Unless people had already decided to buy fish from her stall, there was nothing she could do to convince people. Fish smelled unappealing at best and so she never had any luck with passing trade. By the end of her shift on Saturday her hands were stained with dried fish blood and her face was red from the heat of the barbeque stand opposite her. She looked a mess and just wanted to get back to her house and the small, cold shower.

But just as she was leaving she heard her name being called. "Eponine!" She turned around to see Marius. Her heart sank. She looked awful and here was this perfect boy whose green eyes sunk right into her heart.

"Marius!" She said in reply, quickly letting down her hair in the hopes that it would do something to hide the awful mess that was her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I was in the area and I'd heard good things about the market from Bets and the girls so I thought I'd take a look!" He was beaming as always, mouth straining ear to ear. He often reminded her of an excited Labrador, bounding around perpetually happy and blissful. She was so envious. "How come you're working here?" he asked.

"Money," She said simply. "For the basics; food, clothes et cetera." She noticed the flicker in his eyes before he nodded and chuckled.

"Well it looks like a fun atmosphere!" His optimism was endless and all Eponine wanted to do was jump in with him.

"Yeah it's not too bad. I like the people. The stories they can tell are brilliant." Eponine thought better of regaling him with one of the many tales assuming that he had some place else to be. "I've got to get home and I'm sure you've got better things to do than stand and chat with me so I'll see on Monday, yeah?"

"Talking to you is something I don't think I'd tire from but you're half-right. I'm supposed to meet my father at the bank so I will bid you adieu." He said pretending to tip his hat before walking away. Eponine laughed at his comical farewell. As she turned to walk away she caught sight of her reflection. "Jesus." She groaned before putting her head down and walking away.

She was now sat in her English class waiting for break to be over. She knew that she didn't have to be alone during school times now. If she wanted to she could probably hang out with the boys from the Musain but she didn't want to force herself onto them. So instead she took the spare time to either study or read. At least it meant that her grades stayed consistent. Patterson had congratulated her on joining a club and that seemed to be the end of it. He wasn't about to force her to make friends and not relent until she had at least two BFF's who skipped around together and had sleepovers. That was good. Things had gone back to normal.

"You alright Ep?" Her English teacher, Mr Miller had walked into his classroom unsurprised by his student's presence. "How did the weekend treat you?"

"It was fine, the usual." She answered. She liked Miller, he didn't seem to be too fussed with her beyond her grades. He didn't pry. She had once screwed up and rolled her sleeves when she had a meeting with him and he didn't gawp at what lay there. He didn't even react. She liked that. "How's yours? Wedding plans going well?"

Miller sighed, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah, I guess. I don't like to get too involved. I really couldn't care less about what colour the peonies should be, I just want to be married. Hell, we could elope and that would be fine by me." He paused, thinking a little before saying. "God eloping would be perfect."

"No families." Said Eponine knowingly.

Miller sat up and snapped his fingers. "Exactly." He said smiling. Before the conversation could continue other students began to pile into the classroom. Among these students were Grantaire, who waggled his eyebrows at her as she entered, and Enjolras who merely nodded in her direction. The rest of the lesson went by quite nicely. They were focusing on Gothic literature. It wasn't her favourite, she felt it was often too 'on the nose' but she enjoyed Miller's teaching so she managed to feel a modicum of inspiration about writing an essay on the role of shadows in The Woman In Black.

At the end of the lesson she tried to get out quickly, not wanting to seem to be hovering. It was bad enough that she went early to his lessons, if she then stayed at the end rumours would spread and she would be known as the Scholarship girl who banged her teacher. Before she could fully leave her arm was grabbed from behind. "Don't attack me!" Grantaire said laughing. Eponine threw an annoyed look at Enjolras who didn't match her gaze. Instead he pushed past and left.

"I didn't attack him." Eponine sighed as Grantaire continued to pretend to karate chop her. "He shouldn't have come up to me on a deserted street at night."

"True," Grantaire conceded. "But I just find it funny that you have a mean right hook. Never would have pinned you for a fighter old Eppy." She frowned at the new nickname.

"Well I'm glad I could be so amusing." She muttered as they walked down the corridor together. "Do you know if I upset Enj?" Grantaire looked confused. "It's just he hasn't looked me in the eye since."

"Oh that's just his way." He explained. "When Enjolras, the mighty Enjolras feels embarrassed he proceeds to retreat into a hole of solitude until he gets over it. Nothing you can do to prevent or slow down the process." Eponine scoffed a little. The action seemed almost childish from the Stern Leader. "I remember in Year 7 when Joly saw him mooning over Arabella he didn't speak for almost a week."

"A week for mooning? What kind of time frame can I expect?"

"Oh he'll be fine by Friday's meeting." Grantaire told her. "And I did under-play the mooning. He had saved pictures of her in his phone."

"Ooh Enjolras with a crush? That does sound interesting." She admitted. The thought the Enjolras being anything less than stoic and awkward with a girl amused her greatly.

"I reckon pigs will fly before we see that again." Grantaire muttered as they reached the Common Room.

She and Grantaire spent their free period together which led to Eponine spending a rather enjoyable lunch time with the boys. It gave her another chance to talk to Marius, this time without blood on her hands and she laughed harder than she had in years. A small splash of doubt clouded her thoughts as she worked that night. She felt she was finally close to having a hint of happiness in her life, she was praying that it would last.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Enjolras needed to clear his head. It had been three weeks since Eponine had joined their ranks and he was losing his grip. He had to refocus. It was just so unexpected. She had burst into his life bringing chaos where there had once been structure. And she'd barely done anything. Just her mere presence was driving him out of his mind. The sound of her laughter as she threw her head back, her hair spilling over her shoulders onto her back. The sight of her hand gripping Grantaire's arm as he made her laugh until her sides hurt. Her intense gaze as she listened to whatever was being said in the meetings and then the way she softened at a mere brush of Marius' arm. He thought that might be what was distracting him. The gooey eyes she had for Marius, it was removing her focus from the group and the other boys were starting to be distracted by it. Now instead of the sole focus being on the debate, the boys were counting how many times Eponine looked at Marius and how long he would remain oblivious.

Eponine was staring again. She knew it and she was also aware of the smirks from the other boys. She just couldn't help it. The way his eyes flittered from person to person had her entranced. Her fingers ached to trace the pattern of the freckles across his nose. It was stupid, she was aware. She had tried to resist the feeling that nestled in her stomach whenever he talked to her. And he did talk to her. It seemed he sauntered over to her whenever he could. Surely that meant something? Okay, perhaps he didn't feel the same way but he at least liked her, even as just a friend. That, she supposed, would be enough. She wasn't used to feeling anything in her stomach accept hunger and she preferred the butterflies that would tie her stomach in knots and push the corners of her mouth into a smile whenever she saw him. Grantaire would raise his eyebrows anytime he caught her looking and she frequently told him to piss off. But who cares if she had a small crush? It wouldn't go anywhere and it wouldn't effect anyone other than her maybe.

She snapped out of it once Enjolras cleared his throat. He began one of his tirades against the corrupt capitalist system and it was all she could do not to roll her eyes. If she wasn't going to be distracted by Marius' cologne then she would need something a little more stimulating than this. She caught eyes with Grantaire who was staring at Enjolras. When he noticed her she raised her eyebrows at him. Ha, she thought, see how he likes it. Grantaire sighed and took a large gulp of whatever alcohol lay at the bottom of his glass.

It was the hour of droning on that broke Eponine. Enjolras had just began a new tirade on the faults of the American banking system when the groan slipped from her lips. All eyes were suddenly upon her.

"I'm sorry," Enjolras said, clearly irked. "Is there something you wanted to add Eponine?"

Eponine sighed, she had clearly landed herself in it so she may as well keep going. "Well I mean," She wasn't sure of how she should turn her thoughts into words that wouldn't make her an enemy. "I just don't see why we're debating things that don't really affect us!" She shrugged and noticed that the boys surrounding her were avoiding her gaze. Dead Girl Walking it would seem.

"The American banking system does affect us," Enjolras began to correct her. "Need I remind you of the Great Depression and its effects on Europe? Or maybe something more recent like the 2006 crisis…"

"Yeah, okay I get that but," She had interrupted him. And rather brusquely at that. Judging by the red colour that was seeping into his neck Enjolras wasn't too used to this. "But, think about all the problems within this literal city! You can't tell me you haven't noticed the rising number of young people taking to the streets, living without a roof over their heads? You should be debating on ways to help that!" She continued, fired up by the look of disbelief on all of their faces. "And the drug problem that is so present in every council block possible. The amount of stabbings that have been drug or gang related is astonishing. Debate that!" Enjolras had sunk back in his chair, his hands had come to rest over his mouth. "I've seen mothers ripped from their children because the social services in this county think that living in care is better than living with a poor mother. I've seen black men taken from their families by a police officer who booked him just for the colour of his skin. I'm sorry if I'm tearing down the lovely white picket fence you've built around yourself but there are real problems affecting real people in your community every day. And I'm sick of being sat here for hours and hours debating the big problems that will never effect any of us!" She finished her rant. Overall she felt it had gone better than her first. For one, this was something she'd had hours to think about. The hours that should have been spent listening to the boys in this room had been used to stew over this idea. It really did anger her that none of them seemed to really care about issues. Oh sure, they loved debating the big things, but she had never once seen them down at the shelter. She was sure none of them had so much as lifted a finger to truly help someone.

The silence stewed for a few minutes. As she had finished Grantaire gave her some silent applause but other than that no one acknowledged her. They were all waiting for Enjolras' response. The man in question remained very still, as if he were carved in stone. She looked over at him expectantly but he did not meet her gaze. She sighed before standing up. "I'm not going to apologise for saying what I think is true." She picked up her coat and shuffled around to the door. "But if you no longer want me to attend these meetings then, I guess that's what you have to do. Tell Patterson and he'll get the message to me."

With that she left the room. Enjolras didn't move until the door had fully closed. The boys in the room continued to look at him but he wasn't sure he had anything to say. Instead he caught eyes with Grantaire and sighed.

"Somebody mark down the date and time!" Grantaire said urgently. "Someone's finally left Enjolras speechless!"

She was stupid, a huge idiot. She'd run her mouth off as always and ruined everything. They now hated her; how couldn't they? She'd insulted their whole operation. True, she still stood by everything she had said but she maybe should have bitten her tongue. Her stupid tongue. Why couldn't she control it? These thoughts carried her all the way home. She was so distracted that she barely noticed the change in atmosphere in her home.

She had lived in this small flat since she was eleven and reunited with her parents. It consisted of a small kitchen which lead onto an equally small sitting room with a box TV and lumpy sofa. It had three bedrooms although the third was barely big enough for a washing machine. It lay empty now anyways. Her sister was long gone and though it pained Eponine to not know where she was, she allowed herself to imagine that she was in a better place. Usually she came home to find her mother sat in front of the TV, back from work and vegging out. They never spoke, barely looked at each other and that was exactly how Eponine liked it.

But tonight another figure sat in the living room. Eponine halted when she noticed him. "You're back?" She asked.

"You know me," Her father replied. "Don't like to stay in one place too long."

"But this place was a prison Dad, how'd you managed to weezle your way out of that place?" She knew that talking with her Dad was like walking on a tight rope. One wrong move and it was game over. But she needed to know why and how he was back.

"I made bail alright?" He said, raising his voice just enough that Eponine knew not to ask any more questions. "That's enough chat, your mother tells me you've got a couple more jobs?" Eponine nodded. "Well I'd like to see some of that well-earned money if that's alright with you?"

"But I earned this," She tried to argue. "You played no part in this at all! I was fine to give you my earnings when you got me that job in the pub but this…"

"Are you arguing with me young lady?" Thenardier shouted, standing up out of his chair. Eponine instinctively began to back away. "Because I can't recall a time when that worked out too well for you!"

"I'm just saying I should be allowed to…" she was cut off by the first blow. A palm landed on her left cheek, narrowly missing her ear. Eponine tried to keep standing but had to lean against the counter behind her. Her dad flexed his hand as her mother continued to watch the television screen.

"Now," Thenardier began again, his face close to hers. "I'd like to see some of that money please." His breath was foul and she flinched away from him. She reached into her bag and handed him the money that had taken hours of work to earn. As his hand snatched the paper from her hands she felt the familiar numbness take over her body. She was about to walk to her room when there was a knock at the door.

"Get the door 'Ponine." Her dad barked as he walked into his bedroom.

Eponine sighed and dragged her feet to the door. Her cheek thumped and she had no idea of the damage that had been done. All she could hope was that it wouldn't bruise. She opened the door. Standing there was Enjolras. He stared blankly at her, almost as if he wasn't expecting to see her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked quickly pushing him from the doorframe and closing the front door behind her. "You need to leave now."

"Eponine, I just wanted to speak to you." He began but she just continued to push on his chest, forcing him to walk backwards.

"I am really not in the mood for light debate Enj." She stated.

"No, I wanted to tell you that I think you were right." That caught her attention. She paused. He stood upright again. They were now a few doors down from her flat. Each flat was connected by a balcony-type corridor and the wind whipped through the air between them.

"What?" She said.

"You're right. We should be using our time to actually help people. I just hadn't thought about it like that before, that's why I was so…" He trailed off.

"Silent?" She suggested and he nodded. "Right, well… couldn't it have waited until Monday?"

"I know, I just couldn't stop thinking about it." he paused looking at her in the harsh lighting of the flats. "What happened to your cheek?" Eponine gasped and quickly covered her cheek with her hand. Shit, she hadn't realised it was showing. That meant it was going to bruise.

"I just bumped into something." She tried to explain. "But you really shouldn't be here, you're not safe."

"You're not safe by the looks of it." He argued and she rolled her eyes and pushed him again.

"Leave." She said hoping harsh words would convince him. "I'll see you Monday."

The next morning she woke to find a large purple bruise covering most of her left cheekbone. Covering it up took an extra half an hour and so she was a little late to work. No one noticed. With her father back in the house she knew she had to spend as little time as possible in it. She therefore offered to close up the pub where she worked. Muschietta, the owner, was grateful and didn't ask questions. She had a new baby and wanted to get back to it as soon as possible. As Eponine gave the tables an extra once over she thought about the differences between her life and her friends.

Right now they could be out, driving around maybe eating a meal at a restaurant. If they weren't out they were in their warm, spacious homes. Maybe their father wasn't there, perhaps he was on a business trip. But she was sure they didn't dread his return as she did with her father. The stark contrast between them had never been more apparent to Eponine and she wondered how different her life might have been if she had been born into one of their families.

She hated this feeling. Pity given was bad but self-pity made her sick to her stomach. She still had it so much better than so many. She had a roof over her head for one. As she walked through the streets and said her hello's to the familiar faces of those she had once travelled with she decided that she could live with this. Although she had been free from her parents when she lived on the streets she also knew she had nothing but that small scrap of satisfaction. Being fed felt better than being free.

She made sure to drop by the homeless shelter the next day in a way of reminding herself that she had it better than some. She dished out some food but mainly she just caught up with people. Sadly she saw a lot of familiar faces. Greg regaled her with tales of life on the doorsteps, he'd recently had a spell in prison. It was almost funny how policemen would book you for sleeping on doorsteps but then would throw you straight back once you'd done your time. She asked after Gavroche hoping that she would hear something and nothing at once. If she heard nothing, it could mean he was no longer living rough, if she heard something, she'd know he was still alive.

After social services had come in and split them all up the three siblings remained in contact. For a short while they all travelled together. But then Azelma got a boyfriend who she lived with and Gavroche had to disappear to avoid a tempting offer by a local gang. Eventually Eponine's school realised her situation and put her back into the social system. It had been through this that she had been reunited with her parents. What a brilliant ending that had turned out to be.

The main benefit of spending time at the shelter was that no one gawped at her bruise which was now a definite feature of her face, at least for the next week or so. The people around her all had their own bruises and oddities and so there was no judgement. She fit in here. While some may view that as a sign she had hit bottom, Eponine just revelled in the unfamiliar feeling. She knew that no matter how friendly she got with the Musian boys she would never completely fit in with them. They were all just too different from her.

She had been there for an hour and was just putting her hair back into the netted hat when suddenly Enjolras walked in followed by Grantaire, Marius and a few other Musain boys. She quickly ducked behind the counter, unsure of what her next move should be. If they saw her there, saw how she knew everyone so well, would they put two and two together? If they figured it out, what would their reactions be? She was stumped. With no clue what to do and fully aware that her hiding place was completely ineffectual she stood up slowly.

The boys had been greeted by Fay, the kindest woman in the world who ran the place. She was short and plump and had a brilliantly red face which almost always showcased a kindly grin. Everyone she met instantly fell in love with her and Eponine was no exception. Enjolras was listening intently to what she had to say while Grantaire looked around. It wasn't long before he spotted her.

"'Ponine's here!" He exclaimed before running up to her. "Well how is our little bull?"

"Bull?" She asked.

"Yeah, you completely ruined the whole china shop!" He explained as if it were obvious. His eyes flicked over her cheek but if he was concerned his face didn't portray it. "We now have to be active members of our local community."

"Well… great?" She said and he laughed. "Shall I show these guys around Fay?" She asked as the woman walked over to her followed by the rest of the boys.

"Thanks pet that would be a great help." Fay said smiling as she walked to the kitchens. She paused however, by Eponine for just long enough to whisper. "What the fuck are these posh boys doing here?"

Eponine laughed and motioned for the boys to follow her. She led them into the store room and got them all the correct uniform. It wasn't much, just an apron and hair hat but it was as if she were dressing the army. The boys were so intent on getting everything right that she continually had to suppress the overwhelming urge to laugh at their every move.

"So how long have you worked here Ep?" Joly asked after he had been given his gloves.

"Oh, a couple of years." She said very aware of how far she was stretching the truth.

"That's very commendable." Enjolras said and she frowned before laughing. She led them into the kitchen and sorted them into positions along the food line. She had sneakily placed Marius next to her and she smiled as he asked her for the hundredth time how to properly dish out the food.

"It doesn't really matter if each portion is not exactly the same." She explained again revelling in the way his arm brush against hers every time he dipped the spoon into the mince.

The boys helped dish out food for a few hours. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, talking with the people and laughing at their stories and giving some of their own. At one point Eponine was sat with Bev, Clarey and Dave as the boys began to pack away. "So who are these guys?" Clarey asked.

"Yeah, they seem to be way too posh to be hanging around here." Dave agreed. "Is it some kind of community service thing?"

"No," Eponine laughed. "They just wanted to help out." Her friends shrugged. She looked over at them and smiled. They seemed to fit in here. Maybe she wouldn't fit in with their lives but it was possible they could join hers.

"How comes she's so friendly with them all?" Bahorel asked as the boys stood in the kitchen cleaning the assortment of pots and pans.

"She's worked here for years, you heard her." Joly said. "I'm sure she's friends with them now."

Enjolras looked over at her. Sure enough she looked very comfortable surrounded by these people. He had never seen her so relaxed, had never seen her smile so much. She turned to face him and he was still left a little breathless by the mark on her cheek. He didn't buy her lame excuse, there was no way she could get that from falling. No, she had been hit, and badly, in the time it took him to get to her house. She would never tell him who did it. And if he was honest with himself he didn't think he would ever ask. It didn't feel like it was his business. But he still felt a pang of anger when that red spot made its way into his line of vision.

Just as the boys were leaving Eponine made her way over to him. She had been chatting with Marius and was still smiling giddily when she reached him. "It was a good thing," She began. "You coming here… helping." Her feet shuffled under her and a few hairs had fallen out of the hat. The tendrils framed her face and Enjolras had to force his eyes to meet hers. "I think I underestimated you a little." She admitted and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Thanks, I just took your words to heart." He coughed to clear his throat which had suddenly become dry. "It was your inspiration that led to this so… I should be thanking you really." She smiled and he returned it. They stood like that for a bit. It was strange. Enjolras had never felt so… balanced by someone before. Standing here, eyes locked and in complete silence he realised that he had finally met his match. Fear suddenly burst over him. He quickly said goodbye before practically dashing out the door.

He sat in his car not oblivious to the complete juxtaposition his life had to the people he was just trying to help. They had left the hall to sleep on the streets and he had jumped into his convertible. In that moment he truly detested himself. Eponine had been right. He'd felt that he was so wise to the world. Completely aware of all injustices and ready to fight against them with big words and long speeches. But he hadn't bothered to look for injustices that he could actually help. Words were fine, very powerful when they wanted to be, but actions made the real change.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Eponine walked through the school with her eyes firmly planted on the floor. She would not look up, she refused to let people stare at her. Her supply of makeup while already minimal was practically exhausted by Tuesday. It had taken a pound to hide the bruise the day before and she had woken up with it still staring at her. As ugly and discoloured as usual. She had hoped that she was pretty. Sometimes she felt she might be. But there was no mistake today. The thing had made her left side swell a little and the green tinged edges of the bruise spread under her eye and gave her a gaunter look than usual.

She practically ran into her History class and sat at her usual spot at the back praying that no one would pay attention today. The wish was incredibly short lived. As Grantaire entered the classroom he dramatically flopped himself into the chair next to Eponine and glowered at her.

"No offence, but fuck you." He stated.

"Well good morning to you to." She said and he snorted.

"You would say that… Judas."

"Would you please explain what I have done?" She asked not exactly in the mood for his cutesy attitude.

"Thanks to your little stunt at the last meeting we are now being forced to volunteer our precious time away. First it was the shelter, now it's for a stupid bike race!" He moaned again flinging his arms to the sky. "I mean, it's one thing helping the homeless, but I draw the line at supporting our local lycra fanatics."

"That does sound thrilling." She agreed finding it amusing how quickly Enjolras had roped everyone into following his lead. If the boy ever had genocidal tendencies he would have no problem rounding up the masses.

"Oh no, you're signed up too missy!" He told her and she finally looked over at him. Her face must have been a picture because Grantaire began to laugh. "Oh yeah, this Saturday you'll be in fluorescent just like us."

She wasn't sure what to say. How could she put it in terms he would understand? It was her loud mouth that had inspired him in the first place.

"Enjolras," She said after plucking up the courage to talk to him as he was getting stuff from his locker. "I don't think I'm going to be able to do the whole bike-volunteer thing this weekend." She cringed as he whipped around to look at her.

"Why?" Was all he said.

"I have to work." She told him.

"Take the day off" he replied and she scoffed.

"Yeah like it's that simple." She retorted.

"Well why isn't it?" He asked.

"Because!" She said pausing. How could she explain? _Sure Enjolras I could get the day off but my Dad is expecting money on Saturday and if I don't go I won't have anything to give him._ That would work nicely.

"Well?" He said clearly waiting for an explanation.

"I have to give like a weeks' notice." She reasoned.

"Well if you call your boss now you'll be giving him 6 days' notice. Surely that's close enough to a week?"

"Enjolras I can't volunteer at the bike race on Saturday." Eponine stated. "I know I suggested helping the community but I can't put my welfare above others especially not a group of fucking cyclists!" She shouldn't have exploded. But she had. And she couldn't take it back. Enjolras stared at her again. Christ she hated that looked. It was as if he was shocked but amused while also a little scared. She hated it so much because it wasn't just one emotion. This was the only expression that she couldn't read like a book.

"Fine," he said slowly. "But you needn't come to the meeting this Friday as we'll just be discussing plans for Saturday."

"But…" She began to protest but Enjolras walked away before she could speak. She kicked his locker in frustration. Fuck him for getting pissed at her for such a small thing. It wasn't as if they were doing something important! It was just a stupid little bike ride. They didn't desperately need her. Well, she thought, fuck him and his pompous fucking attitude.

But as it got closer to Friday she realised how much she would miss the meeting. Now she had to go back to wandering the streets on a Friday. She couldn't go back to her house and she couldn't let herself set a foot into the Musain. So that Friday night was spent shivering in a church that had a late night service. The priest was a bigot but it was warmer than nothing.

That weekend she felt the absence of the meeting weigh down on her. The bruise began to fade slowly as she creeped around in her own home.

Enjolras sat in his house, enjoying a Chinese take-out as he planned his group's next steps.

She went back to school hoping that everything would go back to normal. And for the most part they did; Grantaire moaned about how much it had rained on Saturday and Enjolras rolled his eyes at his friend. Eponine didn't apologise to Enjolras and the two never mentioned their argument again. Instead, Eponine walked over to him with a long list.

"These are all things you can do to help." She said as he picked up the paper that had been chucked onto his desk. "Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it." He said quietly. "Are you free most weekdays?" He asked.

Eponine nodded. "I work Monday and Thursday but other than that I'm free." Enjolras just nodded in reply and so missed Eponine's smile. She knew she had won another argument with the great debater. She could get used to this.

A few weeks passed and the group continued on their mission to make a positive difference. Predictably Enjolras got wrapped up in local politics and so every other meeting was him ranting about another 'corrupt' member of government who had let injustices happen on his watch. Eponine had become more vocal within meetings, so she had some modicum of power and she used it to her full advantage. It became evident that she was the only one who could get Enjolras to change his mind and so she was able to veto certain great schemes Enjolras came up with that would land them all in jail.

One idea she failed to veto was the Fundraiser. Enjolras had been paying attention to the movements of certain high-powered people within the city and had found that his parents had been invited to a fundraiser held by a certain Judge Keech who Enjolras held in contempt.

"All I would aim to do," he began knowing he still needed to convince Eponine. "Is to speak with him, get some perspective."

Eponine scrunched up her nose. "Why not just call him up?" She asked.

"He can hang up if we call him," Combeferre answered. "But if it's at a social function he can't make a scene. We're more likely to get some real time with him."

The boys looked at her as she shifted in her seat. Finally she sighed and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Enjolras smiled.

"It'll be fun 'Ponine," Marius whispered to her." I promise. It'll be like prom again. You can get a nice dress and I'll twirl you around the dancefloor." She had to admit this sounded good. Imagining herself on his arm dressed to the nines, well it was every girl's fantasy.

"If it sucks I'll blame you." She replied and he laughed. They all made small conversation before people began to leave. "Grant, I don't own a dress." She said coming to the realisation as the words fell from her lips.

"We'll get you one." He said still inspecting his nails which had taken up most of his concentration that evening. "My sister has loads and she's probably your size-ish."

"If not," Enjolras added. "We can get it altered." She nodded debating whether to state the obvious or not. "We'll pay." Enjolras offered.

"I'm sure Grant's sister's dress will fit fine." She replied. She'd gotten this far without receiving a hand-out from any of her friends. She didn't want to start now.

It felt like they'd been sat in Grantaire's room for years. He wasn't quite sure why he'd shown up. He supposed he wanted to make sure that Grant didn't dress her in a ridiculous way for fun. But now Enjolras was sat on his friend's bed waiting for Eponine to finally get out of the bathroom.

"Come on 'Ponine!" Grantaire called. "We've aged about 80 years in the time it's taken you to button that thing up!"

"I'm almost ready!" Her voice came from the closed door.

Enjolras shuffled on the bed. While large, Grantaire's room was incredibly cluttered and the mess irritated Enjolras. There seemed to be no order at all. It shouldn't surprise him, Grantaire had been this messy since birth and no matter how many times Enjolras came round and organised it all it soon ended up in compete disarray.

The door creeped open and the two boys sat up in expectation. Eponine walked out clearly uncomfortable in this weird display she was giving them. The dress was a dark red that fell from her waist to the floor. It hung beautifully on her hips showing their shape and clinging to her skin. The dress was sleeveless and Eponine fussed with the neckline pulling it and pushing it, clearly worried that it would fall down.

"Well… shit!" Grantaire said quite happily. "I think I'm going to have to marry you now Ep." She frowned at him in confusion. "I've fallen madly in love with you." She laughed and turned to look at herself in the mirror.

"Do you think it looks okay?" She asked as she studied herself.

"You look amazing." Grantaire told her.

"Enj?" She asked turning to him. But he couldn't speak. Or at least. He couldn't let himself speak. What would come out of his mouth, he feared would be cripplingly embarrassing. If he told her the truth; that he honestly didn't think he'd seen something so beautiful, he knew she would run from him.

"You look… fine." He eventually managed and Grantaire laughed. Eponine chuckled with him but Enjolras thought he saw a hint of sadness flash through her.

"Okay," Grantaire jumped up. "You go get changed back into your normal clothes gorgeous and I'll go and set up the film! It's time to take your Die Hard virginity!" He bounded out of the room and Eponine laughed at him before heading back into the small bathroom.

Enjolras, unsure of what to do, remained in Grantaire's bedroom. He felt uncomfortable and hated it so he began to organise Grantaire's bookshelf hoping that this would clear his head a little. Suddenly he heard Eponine curse loudly.

"You okay in there?" He asked standing up to walk over to the bathroom.

"Erm… Not really." She said her voice an annoyed moan. "Can you," She paused. "Can you just come in for a second?"

"What?" He asked perplexed.

"Can you come and help me please Enj?" She asked and as he opened the door she was turned away from him desperately pulling on the zipper to the dress.

"What's up?" Enjolras' voice was higher than usual but she ignored the fact.

"I can't get this bloody zip down and I think I'll break the whole fucking thing if I keep doing it myself."

"Right." He said as he moved closer to her. "You want me to?" He asked and she nodded. She stood straight as she felt his hands hover above the dress. She could see his face in the mirror and was surprised at the expression she saw.

He was nervous. Nervous to touch her. He took a deep breath before taking the zipper in his hand and attempting to move it. The bugger really was stubborn and so he had to place a hand on the small of her back to get leverage. The zip began to move and he felt Eponine relax into him. They were closer than they'd ever been before. He was hyper aware of his breathing, he was breathing way too quickly. But he couldn't help it. His throat caught when pulled the zip which revealed a completely bare back. His hands now had nowhere to go but to come into contact with her skin. He felt her shiver at his cool hand.

"Sorry." He said quickly and she laughed.

"It's fine." She said. "Just cold."

He nodded before unzipping the rest of the dress. Before she turned away though he noticed something at the bottom of her spine. "Eponine?" He asked and she became visibly tense. "How did you get this bruise?" A large purple smudge lined her spine and now he was close to her he could see small bruises lining the tops of her arms.

"It's nothing" She said quickly trying to get further away from him.

"It's not nothing." He said wanting to look at her but having to turn away as she let the dress fall to the floor. "Is someone hurting you?" He asked.

He'd asked the question. The question she had hoped would never come. But it had. She'd let someone get too close to her. And now he knew. Nothing she could say would get him to forget about it.

"Enjolras it's nothing I can't handle." She said fixing him with a glare.

"That's what I'm worried about." He replied. "That you've had to get used to this... treatment." The word hung in the air along with the word that wasn't said.

"I'm fine." Her voice wavered a little and she cursed it. The tears that pricked at her eyes were bad enough but now even her voice wasn't believing her words. She quickly began to put her clothes back on.

"You're skin tells a different story." He replied and she rolled her eyes as she pulled her sleeves further down her arms. "Tell me what's going on Eponine, I could help maybe."

She laughed at that and as she threw her head back a tear escape and rolled down her cheek. "Oh of course. Of course the great Enjolras will be able to swoop in and save the day as always! My mistake!" She scoffed. "People have tried before. If the government couldn't help then why the hell do you think you could?" He tried to answer but she cut him off. "And who says I need help anyway? I've survived this long on my own so why should I need someone else's help?"

"Because unlike the government I care about you!" He was nearly yelling. It was tearing him up seeing her holding back the tears that threatened to fall at any moment. "We care about you." He corrected himself hoping he hadn't given anything away. "We want to protect you because you mean something to us, not just because we have to."

Eponine turned away from him as she began to cry. Years of practice meant that her sobs came silently. If her shoulders hadn't been jolting so severely Enjolras wouldn't have known what was happening. Instead he walked over to her and, without thinking, put his arms around her. She leant into him then, sobbing. All the years of biting her tongue were coming out. He just stood and held her. He fought the overwhelming urge to talk deciding that silence was the best comfort he could provide in that moment.

Grantaire came upstairs to see them stood like that. Eponine sobbing onto Enjolras' shoulder as he lightly rubbed her back. Their friend backed out of the room, careful not to disturb them. When Eponine eventually came down stairs, eyes puffy and nose red he did not mention it. He merely did everything he could to replace those tears with laughter. And Enjolras let him do his thing. He knew that Eponine needed to laugh right now. Maybe he would eventually get the answers he wanted; maybe he wouldn't but it was inescapable now. He was completely and utterly hers and she had no idea.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

The plan was simple; the boys were able to procure invites because of their families connections and Eponine was going to be Grantaire's plus one. She had secretly hoped to be made Marius' date for the evening but it didn't matter too much. After all, it was only really Enjolras who was treating this as a so-called mission. He would find the Judge and talk to him, recording the Judge's answers from his phone which was safely tucked away in his pocket. It was simple really and the rest of the Musain group were planning to treat the evening as a night out.

Eponine made sure to tell Joly a fake address; she couldn't have the boys turning up in her neighbourhood with their expensive cars. Walking a mile in high heels proved hazardous however and so that was why as the boys pulled up to her she was quickly slipping her feet back into their small, pointy jails. "You alright Ep?" One of the boys yelled out and she just walked over to them in response.

As she pulled open the car door she saw Grantaire, Marius and Joly beaming out at her. "Well don't you all look dapper!" She said as she sat down. It was true, the boys really did know how to scrub up well. Grantaire wore a navy blue suit that Eponine had helped to pick out. Joly wore a dark emerald coloured jacket with black linings and Marius remained completely predictable in simple black. She tried not to stare too much at him as she squeezed into the seat next to Grantaire.

"You looking forward to this my lovely date?" Grantaire asked her and she nodded. Truth be told she was starting to feel nervous. She was about to enter a room which held county officials as well as the rich and powerful. The familiar itching feeling in her hands started to play up and she had to fight the urge to sit on them. Years ago, before her father's first stint in jail, her family had attended events like these. They would wait on these people and rob them blind when they weren't looking. She just hoped no one would recognise her. "It'll be fine." Grantaire said sensing her hesitation.

They eventually pulled up to the Museum where the event was taking place. It looked incredibly grand with its stone walls that had been carved into an assortment of floral patterns. They entered the Reception Hall and Eponine couldn't help but gasp. Intricate statues of women and men lined the hall floor which in itself was a beautiful red marble. The ceiling was painted with a pattern of stars and planets accompanied by a glass dome which cast a brilliant light into the hallway. As she walked her heels clacked on the marble and the sound bounced off of the royal blue walls. At the end of the corridor stood Enjolras, Combeferre and Bahorel. They too seemed to be absorbing their surroundings although Eponine was sure this wasn't their first time on the premises. She felt a flutter rush through her stomach at the sight of Enjolras. She hadn't seen him since they had been at Grantaire's house. He had seemingly avoided her at school and she hadn't exactly been trying to look for him. Their eyes met and her breath caught in her throat. Something had passed between them on that day but she wasn't sure what it was. She had almost opened up to him, he had gotten closer than anyone before him but she managed to pull up the walls in time. She just hoped that he wouldn't tell anyone of what he saw. He nodded to her and she smiled in return.

"Come on then my love," Grantaire said as he gave the porter their coats. "Time to enter the lion's den."

If Eponine had thought the entrance hall was grand it was nothing compared to the Ballroom. A deep coral coated the gold-lined walls and chandeliers of enormous size dangled from the ceiling. The floor was the same marble colour but under the lights it seemed to almost glow. But it wasn't just the grandness of the décor that made Eponine stare. The people that littered the room were dressed in the most beautiful clothes she had seen. One women seemed as though she had been dipped in gold as the tight dress clutched to her figure and ballooned out into a mermaid tailed skirt. Another wore a brilliantly white dress which billowed out from under her waist. Eponine caught a glance of herself in the mirror and felt completely inadequate. Her hair, which she had attempted to curl, now lay carelessly on her shoulders, blown out from the wind. Her nose was pink from the cold outside and her dress seemed dull in comparison to the people around her. She quickly patted her dress hoping that this would do something to remove the creases created by walking to the car.

"You look wonderful Eponine." Grantaire said into her ear. "Now let's get you a drink so you can relax." Eponine breathed a laugh as he guided her over to the bar. After practically downing a glass of whiskey she and Grantaire strolled back over to the boys who were huddled in a corner.

"It would seemed that Judge Keech has not yet arrived so for the time being we need to mingle and try not to look out of place." Enjolras instructed as Eponine began to feel the warming effect of the alcohol. "So, go and dance or something, we can't just stand here we'll look suspicious." Enjolras' eyes seemed to be darting around the room seeking his target but other than that he seemed totally calm. He was dressed in a crimson suit which complemented his blonde hair well, his stance was relaxed and Eponine noticed a few looks being shot his way by giggling socialites.

"Our captain has commanded it, so we should obey." Grantaire said to Eponine holding out his arm in an invitation to dance.

"No, no." She declined. "I don't dance."

"Yeah," He said pulling her onto the dance floor. "Tonight you do."

She had to admit that it was quite fun having him whisk her around the floor. As he spun her round she couldn't help but laugh loudly, in that moment not caring about the looks they were getting. Suddenly as the music changed he pulled her in to him. "So how's about we make this night a little more interesting hey?"

Enjolras was bored. Somehow he had found himself willingly going to the kind of fundraisers he detested. Boring people talking about boring things in a boring room with boring music. Where was the Judge? Enjolras scoured the room once more searching for the man he wanted to talk to. But there was no sign of him. Oh crap, he thought as the girls he was talking to looked expectantly at him.

"I'm sorry ladies I got a little distracted just then." He admitted knowing that honesty was the best route to go when caught out like this.

"We were just wondering if you knew who that girl was with Grantaire?" Lally, a girl he knew from his family asked him. She had long, red hair that was artfully twisted into an intricate bun on her head. Unfortunately the green of her dress, which she presumably supposed would complement her hair, gave her pale skin a tinged lime hue. Not the effect she was surely going for.

Enjolras looked at the girl he was referencing. Grantaire was swinging her around as she laughed, head thrown back, delight in her eyes. Eponine and Grantaire had been mucking around all evening. It seemed that they would dare each other to dance or talk to a person of their choice. Eponine had danced with the re-tired Mayor as well as his wife and an assortment of other random party-goers. They all seemed to be enjoying her attention although Enjolras felt that she should be wary. She was getting a little too much attention and that could spoil everything for them.

"She's just a girl from our school." Enjolras replied thinking it best if he didn't give them her name.

"Well she is making a fool of herself isn't she?" Lally laughed. "I mean, really, that dress looks to be about ten years old!"

"I'm surprised moth balls haven't flown out of it." Another girl added, a comment which was met with a huge laugh from the girls. Enjolras just studied the girl he had been trying to ignore for the past few days. The red dress looked just as beautiful as it had when he first saw it but now it was tinged with the knowledge of what was concealed underneath. How many more bruises had she received since then? He didn't know. And that was what drove him mad.

He made his excuses and left the group. Finding Combeferre and Marius at the bar he joined them.

"How're you doing?" Marius asked him. "When do you think the Judge will get here then?"

"Who knows?" Enjolras said his hope dwindling by the minute.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and Enjolras was pulled to the ground by a small waitress who had been walking past.

"Oh my goodness!" She said as she realised what had happened. "I'm so sorry, please let me help you!" She had picked herself up off the ground and was now holding out a hand to Marius.

"Oh no, don't worry." Marius said pulling himself up. "I'm alright." He then seemed to stop as he looked at her. Glass was on the floor and the girl seemed to have cut her knee. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied quickly picking up the bits off the floor. The whole commotion had gathered quite a bit of attention. She dusted herself off and started to walk away. "I should go and clean this up."

Marius continued to stand there, looking into the distance where she had just left. Then he turned to the boys. "Who was that?" The boys shrugged. "I should go and check that she's okay right?"

"Do what you want." Joly replied.

"I should go and help her." Marius decided before walking off in her direction.

"His willingness to help the waitress wouldn't have been motivated by the fact that she's incredibly pretty would it?" Combeferre asked and Joly laughed.

"That couldn't possibility be it."

"Excuse me!" Marius said as he caught sight of the girl. She turned around.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened but it was an accident okay?" She replied, her hands planted on her hips.

"No!" Marius quickly said. "No, I'm not here to shout at you." She frowned. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh." She said and Marius marvelled at the perfect shape her mouth made. Her blond hair was tied up into a tight ponytail but a few strands fell about her face. Her blue eyes were wide as she looked at him, clearly wary of what he was doing.

"Your knee." He said lamely. "It's bleeding."

She looked down and seemed to notice the wound for the first time. "Right." She said. "And your arm." It was Marius' turn to look down. A small shard of glass must have caught him as he landed. Now his suit was ripped a little and it looked like he was bleeding. "We have a first aid kit in the back." She told him.

"Right." He said, not completely following her train of thought.

She rolled her eyes and smiled before taking his hand and pulling him behind her.

Eponine's feet hurt. Like a lot. She had been dancing for god knows how long with god knows who. It had been fun. But now she was uncomfortably hot with aching feet. She found a seat in a back room and wondered where the others were. Grantaire had found some girls to flirt with and she was looking for some company. After sitting along for a while she decided to go and look out some friends. If she had been a little more sober she would have been hesitant but the alcohol made her bold enough to kick off her heels and walk around bare foot. After all, when was she ever going to see any of these people again?

She entered the main Ballroom and soon spotted the boys. They were huddled by the bar, Enjolras' eyes still scanning the crowd while the others talked and laughed among themselves. When she reached them she began to hear their conversation. "You can't be in love with someone after that short of a time!" Joly was saying while the others chuckled.

She watched as Marius shook his head. "I'm telling you guys, she's perfect. No one compares now. She's the one." She felt her heart begin to beat at his words. "Her eyes, did you see her eyes?"

"You're drunk." Combeferre added. "You'll wake up tomorrow and eat your words."

"I won't." Marius said confidently. "I will forever be in love with Cosette." She stopped still a few feet away from them. What had he said? Cosette?

"I never thought I'd see the day." Bahorel said giggling. "Our boys in love."

"And with a waitress too, his mother will be so proud!"

Waitress? She looked around her eyes searching for that uniform. She spotted a few waitresses dotted around, clearing away plates and glasses but couldn't see her. Then, all of a sudden she was there. Cosette was standing in front of her. She looked the same. The same perfectly blonde hair that seemed to shine. The blue eyes that were so opposite from her own. Eponine noticed suddenly that the girl in front of her was staring back.

"'Ponine?" Cosette said. "Is that you?" She began to walk up to her before enveloping her in her small arms. "Oh my god! I can't believe it!"

Eponine forced a smile. "Cosette!" She said. "You're here!" The girls hugged for a moment longer before Cosette held her friend at arm's length.

"Woah, you look amazing! Where did you get this dress?" Cosette gazed at her.

"A friend." She replied. "What are you doing here?" She asked the silly question with the obvious answer.

"I'm working! You remember how it is!" She laughed. "Are you here as a guest?" She asked before lowering her voice. "Or are you here with Mon…"

"No." Eponine cut her off. "I don't do that anymore. I'm here with friends." She gestured vaguely behind her. At that convenient moment Bahorel bounded up to the two of them.

"Well, well! Isn't this a crazy coincidence?"

"What is?" Asked Eponine.

"I'm guessing you know this lovely young lady?" Said Bahorel to Eponine. "She has just entranced our friend Marius." Eponine gulped, a sickly feeling growing in her stomach as she watched Cosette blush.

"I should go." Cosette said and Eponine smiled. "We should catch up soon!"

As soon as she had gone Marius was at Eponine's side. "You know Cosette?" He asked, eyes wide. "How? Do you have her number? Could you give it to me?"

"Woah." She said as his questions continued to come. "Slow down there buddy. I know Cosette from ages ago, we went to the same school once." Marius nodded eager to soak in information. "She's very nice but I don't have her number." His face fell.

"Why not?" Asked Joly. Eponine decided to lie.

"Because I didn't have a phone back then and someone," she shot a glare at Bahorel. "Interrupted us."

"Do you know where she lives?" Marius asked and Eponine sighed at his unrelenting determination.

"Sure, I'll show you where she lives." Marius let out a whoop and lifted her up off the ground before spinning her around.

"Eponine, I think I love you." He yelled as her heart shattered.

The Judge didn't show. He couldn't believe it. The fundraiser was closing and everyone was going home. He just sat staring in disbelief. How could a man not show up to a fundraiser of a charity he was patron of? The evening had been a complete waste of time. Eventually he was ushered out but he couldn't bring himself to go home. So he just sat on the steps of the Museum staring out at the road in front of him. He heard someone sit down next to him.

"Well that was a successful night." Grantaire said sarcastically. "Marius found love so Eponine's gone and you've turned to stone." Grantaire laughed as his friend gave no sign that he was listening. "Lally certainly looked like she was hearing wedding bells tonight." He mentioned. "When was it you were going to propose?" Enjolras just blinked. "If you're anything like Marius it'll be tomorrow."

"I just wish I could do something." Enjolras said and Grantaire looked at him, shocked it had been so easy to coax him out. Then he saw what Enjolras was staring at. She was sat on the roof of the car waiting for them to come and take her home. "Something that would create actual good. Help people."

"She doesn't want to be saved Enjolras." Grantaire stated which made his friend look at him. "Maybe she'd be willing to get help but she doesn't need to be rescued. She's doing that by herself."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Enjolras replied and Grantaire sighed.

"Yeah you do."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

They sat in the car and Eponine watched him sit there. He was practically bouncing in his seat, his eyes fixed to the door in front of them.

"Well go on then!" She said to him. The house was so familiar to her. She couldn't quite believe they still lived there. It seemed like a lifetime ago she sat on that roof. The window that the two girls used to creep out of was cracked open possibly letting in a cool breeze. Eponine wondered if the room was still painted in that ghastly pink colour that used to make Eponine turn up her nose. The rest of the house was undisturbed. The white paint was slightly yellowing now but other than that it looked exactly the same. It was funny, when she was younger this place had seemed like a mansion. Now she saw it for what it was. Painfully ordinary. A standard detached two bedroom townhouse that matched the copies that surrounded it. The hedges had been recently cut and Eponine remembered how the two girls would try and distract the gardener most weekends. She sighed.

"What are you doing?" She asked. "I thought you wanted to see her?"

"I do! Of course I do!" He said turning to her. "But I have no clue what I'm going to say!" His eyes were wide with excitement. He ran a hand through his hair and the sight of it made her stomach lurch. This was torture. It was bad enough she had to track down her address, now she was having to coax him into seeing her. Maybe she should let him psych himself out? Would that be selfish of her? To keep him all to herself?

"Start with hello maybe?" She suggested and he shook his head.

"How will I explain how I found her address?" He muttered. "I'll look like a stalker."

"Yes you will." She told him and he shot her a dirty look. "But some girls like the stalker-type." He laughed a little and she smiled. "If she has even a tiny amount of brain power still she'll be head over heels in a minute." This was probably for the best. She had known that nothing would ever be able to happen between them. Better that she realised that now rather than a year down the line. "Go get her tiger." She said and he nodded.

Before he stepped out of the car he took a deep breath and checked his reflection in the mirror. "Right," He turned to her. "Are you sure you're okay to walk home? I feel bad dragging you out here."

She shook her head. "I'm a big girl Marius I can manage a couple of miles." He beamed at her before they both stepped out of the car. He dashed up the driveway and just remembered to give her a small wave before he knocked on the door.

Eponine knew she should probably leave but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. So she ducked behind a bush and watched as Cosette opened the door. At first, the girl looked surprised but she quickly smiled and blushed as Marius said something to her. After laughing at something he said she moved out of the way and let him in. And then the door closed and Eponine was shut out. She stayed there for a little while, half hoping that he would run out at any second stating that he had made a huge mistake and he really actually only wanted to be with her.

She started to walk away after a few minutes had passed. It was mid-afternoon and for once she wasn't scheduled on to work that Sunday. She had nowhere to go. Grantaire would probably be happy to see her but she didn't want to be on the receiving end of any pitying looks today. She wandered around for a little bit and scoffed at herself as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

She was being stupid, she knew it. She shouldn't be so upset about a boy who she had known for a couple of months. It was childish and she felt ridiculous. But Marius had been the first person who had taken any notice of her in such a long time. He radiated happiness and it had been nice to soak it up even for a little while. Already she felt a little colder.

Without realising it she had stepped into familiar territory. She hadn't been there in years and wasn't sure why her body had taken her there. All she knew is that she needed a distraction. The familiar musty scent made its way to her nose as she took a seat at the bar. This place was a far cry from the Musain. The sticky table tops and burnt out cigarettes replaced the coasters and light atmosphere of the Musain. Dark wood surrounded her and even darker characters stared at her. Even in this place, a place which she had once called home, she stood out. The funny thing was her parents had once been the owners of this bar. There was a backroom which Eponine had used to sleep in. It was adjacent to the room in which her father and his friends planned their next job. Occasionally she would hear her name through the walls and cry for what she would be made to do.

The memory clouded her thoughts as a drink was placed in front of her. "I'm presuming you still drink gin my dear?" Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. There he was. His dark eyes burned into his. "'Ponine," Montparnasse said. "It's been too long." He grinned at her, his eyes crinkled and she noticed that his hair had grown long. The dark mess now reached his shoulders and strands of hair fell into his eyes.

"Hello again." She replied trying to keep her voice even. She shouldn't be here, she suddenly realised. She shouldn't be talking to him again. But here she was, and here he was. They were together again.

"Why have you come back?" He asked simply as he sat next to her.

She sighed. "Who says I have come back?" His eyebrows raised.

He laughed, scoffed really. "Well you're here aren't you? You haven't stepped foot in here since the bust! So I'll ask again, what are you doing here?"

She raised her eyes to his and smiled. "I need a distraction." He chuckled and raised his glass to hers. She met it with a clink.

Grantaire hadn't seen Eponine in a few days. No one had. "Are you sure she hasn't been in at all?" Miller said after Grantaire had come to him in the hopes he might have some insider information.

"Nope." Grant said sighing. "Haven't seen hide nor hair of her. We're worried."

Miller nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, me too." They sat in silence for a bit. "I'll put the word around to the staff and see if someone knows something. It's possible she's got some kind of work experience or something."

Grant scoffed. "Yeah because she wouldn't tell us about that would she?" He dragged his hands over his face.

"I'm just trying to keep positive." Miller stated.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, I just…" Miller nodded as if to say, I know. Grantaire wandered out of the classroom. School was over and the corridors were empty. It always creeped Grantaire out being in school after hours. It just felt too quiet. He met the boys out the front.

"Anything?" Joly asked and Grantaire just shook his head. "Shit."

"She's probably fine you know." Combeferre added. "She can take care of herself."

"Cosette says that she used to do this all the time." Marius piped up.

"Oh so you're telling Cosette everything already, great." Grantaire snapped.

"Hey, she's friends with Eponine too, she deserved to know. She could've helped!" Marius argued still at the point where he couldn't abide anyone saying anything against his new girlfriend. Well, they hadn't exactly said they were dating but they were meeting up tomorrow so he guessed he could get away with calling her that. "Besides she knows Eponine better than anyone really. She knew her before all of us."

Grantaire suddenly jumped up from where he had been slouched on the wall. "Marius call your little lady, I want to talk to her."

Cosette met them at the Musain and they all sat around that little table for the first time without a topic to debate. Cosette was sat with Marius but they were positioned opposite the boys. She felt rather like she was being interrogated. All they needed was a huge flashlight.

"So, can you think of any pattern to her old disappearances?" Grantaire asked her and she thought about it. Her dilemma was that she was unsure of how much these boys knew about their friend. She didn't want to reveal too much because that would be like betraying Eponine's trust. But she had an inkling of where 'Ponine had got too and she was worried about her.

"Well," Cosette began and the boys practically leaned in to hear her better. "She would always disappear when her dad needed her help at a job." She picked each word carefully. "So she could be with him." She prayed she wasn't. Although they had been young girls when they were friends Cosette had seen the fear in her eyes when Eponine was near her father. She was there to witness the change in Eponine's father after they lost the pub. Let's just say after that Eponine became uncommonly clumsy.

"What work does her father do? Maybe we can track down his company?" Joly suggested and Cosette cringed.

"He does… freelance work so I don't think you'd be successful." The boys sighed and Marius squeezed her hand. He had told her that she didn't need to answer any question if she didn't want to but she truly did want to help.

"What about a boyfriend?" Grantaire asked. "Would she disappear with a guy?"

Cosette shook her head. "I never knew anything about a boyfriend but," She reminded them. "We were young when we were friends."

Grantaire resisted the urge to throw something against the wall. They had nothing. All they could do was wait for her to return and pray that it was all in one piece.

Cosette was taken home by Marius and after he left she sat in her room. She thought about her old friend and how she had one day disappeared and never came back. She was just gone. It looked like it had happened again. The looks on the boys' faces were familiar, she had worn a similar expression once. She'd never found out where Eponine had gone or how she had ended up in that school with those boys. When she was younger she used to be envious of Eponine, she seemed so free in comparison to Cosette with her father's strict rules. But now she saw that she'd had it all twisted. It wasn't that her parents let her have her freedom, it was that they didn't care where she went. It made her appreciate her father and she was ashamed to say that she hadn't thought about Eponine much after it was clear she wasn't coming back. Now she wished that things had been different, that Cosette could have somehow saved her.

The air whipped across her face as she leant out of the car window. It felt nice to ride around in the night-time. Everything was so quiet. She felt an arm on her as Parnasse pulled her back into the car. "You're crazy." He laughed and she hit him in response. The car bumped along the uneven road as they drove round and round the city. Occasionally they would stop for some food but mostly they just drove. The radio blared and Eponine closed her eyes. It was incredible how quickly she'd slipped back into it. The complete lifestyle. She realised now that the past few years had been so difficult because she'd been denying who she truly was. She was a thief, just like her father. He had been happy when she brought back Parnasse again and she almost enjoyed how well they got on. Thick as thieves. Her father had taken Parnasse on a job that night and the younger man had impressed Thenardier so much that he was allowed to spend the night. From that point Eponine hadn't had a moment alone. She would go out with Parnasse and keep watch for him and his friends and would laugh as they made their escape. She and Parnasse would sit in the back of the car and he would rub her hand with his thumb and she would be filled with a kind of warmth.

Occasionally she would think about the boys. Wonder what they were doing. She assumed they would barely notice her absence. It's not like they really liked her anyway. Somehow she had forgotten that they had been forced to take her on. Parnasse reminded her that she would never belong in that world.

"I'll have to go back to school though." She said now as they sat in the car. Montparnasse grimaces.

"Why?" He asked. "No one will care if you don't go back."

"I know," She replied. "But I want to." Parnasse rolled his eyes. "Besides if I don't go back they'll come to the house. We had to give the address when I started. I'm on scholarship so I doubt they'll let it slide."

"Fine." He replied bluntly. "But you know better than to get involved with those rich dicks again, don't you?"

She nodded. She doubted they would make a fuss. Montparnasse was right when he'd said they didn't care. She was a charity case at best and she knew it was true.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

If he was being honest with himself, Enjolras was going out of his mind. He'd tried to take a backseat but every day that she didn't show it ripped him in half with worry. He knew someone had been hurting her, what if they'd found out she'd gone to the function? She could be anywhere right now! And no one could give them any information that would help. He and Grantaire would stay up and call every house on her block pretending to be cold callers in the hopes that she would pick up. But she didn't. He thought about going to her house. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. What if he went and saw something that he'd want to forget. No, that would be a last ditch attempt when he had no hope left.

But then, as suddenly as she left, she was back.

She was just sat there, the day after they'd talked to Cosette, just sitting in her usual chair. Grantaire ran up to her.

"Eponine! You're back!" He yelled and she just looked at him blankly. "Where were you?" He asked.

"Oh," She replied. "I just took a few days off."

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asked. Enjolras looked on, unable to find the right words. His heart was beating and his hands shook as he texted the boys the news.

"I didn't think it would be a big deal." She shrugged and Grantaire let out an exasperated laugh.

"Jesus Christ we've been going out of our minds!" He practically yelled.

"Well…" She looked strange. "I'm sorry?"

Grantaire chuckled. "It's fine don't apologise. We're just glad you're okay." She nodded in response as the bell went. Grantaire frowned at her before turning to Enjolras.

"Is it just me or is Eponine… off today?" He whispered.

"No, I see it too." Enjolras agreed. The two of them turned back to the girl who began to diligently take notes as she had always done.

It was when she didn't join them at the end of the day that the boys became convinced something had happened.

"Where did she go again?" Bahorel asked.

"She didn't say." Grantaire said for the fiftieth time that day. "She barely said more than five words at a time to be honest."

"Maybe she's tired?" Marius suggested and they boys looked at him exasperatedly. "What?" He said.

Just then they watched as Eponine walked right past them to stand at the front of the school. Enjolras wondered whether they should attempt to go over to her. But before he could voice his idea a car pulled up next to her. A guy's head appeared from the window and the boys took a collective gasp as she leant down and kissed him. The man in the car did not look… trustworthy in Enjolras' opinion. His long, dark hair was a little greasy and the leather jacket he was wearing looked incredibly old and beat up. The car he was driving wasn't that much better. He watched as Eponine walked round the car and stepped in casually. The car started with a jolt and juddered as it pulled away.

"Who the fuck was that?" Grantaire asked as he watched the car leave. "I told you it would be a guy that would make her go crazy."

"Well at least we know she didn't get kidnapped or anything?" Joly offered.

"How come she'd never mentioned a boyfriend before?" Marius asked and Grantaire scowled at him. As irrational as it may be Grantaire fully blamed Marius for Eponine's disappearance.

"Who was the last one to see her again?" Grantaire asked, a question which he hadn't thought of until now.

"Well," Marius said. "I saw her Sunday afternoon when she took me to Cosette's? Did anyone see her after that?" The rest of the boys shook their heads. Grantaire scowled without realising that Enjolras had the exact same anger burning in his stomach.

"And did she mention where she was going?" Grantaire asked through gritted teeth.

"No, I assumed she was going to walk home." Marius said seemingly unaware of the hole that was being burnt through his head by his friend's glares. The other boys had caught onto Grantaire and Enjolras' rage and so remained silent.

Grantaire was the first to break. "You fucking idiot." He said as he picked up his bag and walked away.

"What did I do?" Asked Marius.

Eponine was sat on the lumpy sofa in Montparnasse's flat. He lived not too far from her own house; the familiar grey walls a quick reminder of how similar they were. He was stood in the kitchen fetching a beer as she watched the screen in front of her. She had gone back to school today. She hadn't expected it to be so hard. Being away from the school, it had been easy to forget about her friends. It was easy to listen to Parnasse's words and believe them. But when Grantaire had bounded over to her she felt a pang of regret. Seeing his confused looks and hearing Enjolras' hushed words had hurt, but watching them give up on her hurt more.

"'Ponine?" Mont asked, suddenly in front of her holding out a beer. "Someone in there?" He used his knuckles to tap on her head.

"Sorry." She said quickly, making sure to give him her full attention. "What's up?"

"I wanted to ask your help with something." He said, sitting next to her with a careless arm wrapped around her shoulder. "A job." She quickly shot a look at him. His eyes were fixed to the screen.

"No." She said simply. "I don't do that anymore, we talked about this."

"I know." He replied. "But the thing is, I need you." He paused before turning to look at her. "We can't do this without you."

"Well why can't you find someone else to do it?" She asked and he huffed.

"Because Eponine, we can't trust anyone else!" He voice was rising and from the way his hands were fidgeting she could tell he was becoming annoyed. "I wouldn't be asking you if there was any alternative, you get that right baby?"

"I don't want to do that stuff anymore!" She insisted, "I don't do that stuff anymore." She said as if she was telling herself more than anyone.

"It's nothing babe," He started to explain. "We just need a lookout, maybe an entrance, but that's it. You've done it a million times before. And no one can do it better than you."

"Mont, don't ask me to do this."

"You love me don't you?" He asked. She looked away. He gripped her arm. "You love me, don't you?" He repeated.

"I do." She whispered, fingernails dragging down the inside of her throat.

"So why won't you do this little thing for me?" He practically pouted. "I would do anything for you. You should do anything for me." Both of his hands were now gripping her arms as he looked at her. His dark hair was pulled back and a little stubble now lined his jaw. She felt the walls cave in, he wouldn't let go of this. He pulled her into him and kissed her softly. "One last little job." He whispered into her hair. He felt her nod and he smiled widely. "Why fight it, love?" He asked. She could feel his lips on her temple. "It's in your blood to do this. You can't fight it." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she wondered if he was right.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The sky was black and the night was still. They crept down the street as the wind whipped against them. Trees were nearly bent backwards with the force of the air and Eponine's face was raw with the lashes of the whip that was her hair. 5 people made up the team, Eponine watched as they crept towards their target, a tall townhouse in a posh street. The classic red brick and crawling ivy represented the wealth that the men around her desired. Montparnasse was stood next to her as they looked across at the house. Her father was walking casually towards the front door and the men flanking him frantically swept the front windows, watching for any kind of movement.

"Right 'Ponine, it's your time to shine." Parnasse whispered to her. She couldn't move. A sickly feeling had burst throughout her stomach but that wasn't what was cementing her feet to the ground. It was the feeling of intense excitement. An almighty rush. The kind of feeling she hated to enjoy. She heard Montparnasse sigh before he shoved her into the street. She stumbled a little but quickly regained her footing. And then she was walking quickly, silently, up to the front door.

"You know what to do." Her father told her and she nodded. She could only see his eyes which glinted in the moonlight. Her father was a fully nocturnal being. He thrived in the dark. In the light, his shortcomings were clear; he wasn't handsome, he couldn't afford new clothes. But in the dark, he could look like a king with the mask pulled over his head.

The red door was lined with thin windows which served as their entrance tonight. Taking the ice pick out of her jacket she lined it up to the window. Then, she swiftly smashed the ice pick up against the glass reducing the pane to thin pieces on the floor. She stayed still for a moment, if anyone had been in the house they would have heard that. When no reaction was gained she slipped her hand into the empty frame. It was such a tight space that she was forced to press one side of her arm up against the jagged glass that still clung to their place. Once her entire forearm was inside, she felt for the door handle and turned it quickly. The door opened and her family set to work.

True to their word, that was all Eponine had been required to do. So now she stood in the alley between the house and its neighbour. Her heart was thumping as she tried hard to stand still. But she wanted to run, or scream, or laugh or do something. She took deep breaths and tried to focus, she had to keep lookout.

It had been four years since she had done this. Okay, she may have picked the occasional pocket when she was on the street but it had been years since she had done this kind of a job. She remembered the first time she had been used. The fear she had felt then was still as strong now as it had always been. But she had enjoyed it too. The first time she had seen her father smile was on their first job together. She had been used to distract a couple while her father stole their wallets, jewellery and other valuables they had on them. The couple had been bent over her as she cried, whispering kind words of comfort when she had seen her Dad appear over their shoulder. His smile burned into her memory.

"Eponine?" She whipped around at the sound of her whispered name.

Standing at the top of the alleyway was Enjolras. His hair was messy and he was topless, wearing only pyjama bottoms that were an embarrassing shade of orange.

"Eponine, what are you doing here?" He asked, walking quickly towards her.

"I…" She faltered. What to do? Scream? Run? If she screamed the boys would find him and would do who knows what to silence him. She had to protect him. "Go back inside." She said.

"What?" He replied.

"Go inside. Pretend you didn't see me." He just looked at her. "Please?"

"Not until you tell me why you're here!" He demanded.

"I can't tell you." She whispered, beginning to panic. He was making too much noise, he was going to be found. "You have to go."

"Eponine, you're scaring me."

"Good." She replied as she put a hand to his chest to push him away. "Go."

"Why won't you talk to me?" He whispered urgently. She shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed as she began to push him back towards the street.

"Why are you here?" She whined.

"Because I live here!" He answered. She stopped. She must have whispered something because suddenly Enjolras was holding her up. "Eponine, what's wrong?"

"Please go." She mumbled. Her heart was in her throat. He lived here? Suddenly the shame of what she was doing hit her like a train. She was breathless. Her two worlds were suddenly twisted and mangled together and she didn't know what to do. She didn't want him, or any of the boys, to see what she was doing. To see what she was.

They were stood on the street now. Enjolras was staring at the girl in front of him. He was holding her arms as tears filled her eyes. Why was she here? He had no clue. He looked around at the street surrounding them. The wind was sweeping newspapers and loose rubbish across the street but other than that there was no movement. And then he saw the broken window.

Then he noticed the object protruding from his friend's jacket.

"What the fuck have you done?" He asked, his voice low and cutting.

She suddenly looked at him. "You can't say anything." She whispered. "You have to go. They'll find you and…"

He cut her off. "Who will find me? Your friends? Your new boyfriend?" She couldn't look at him. "Jesus 'Ponine I can't believe this." He dropped his hands from her arms and put distance between them. "I can't believe the girl who preached about the importance of helping the community is a petty criminal." He was being too loud. He knew it was a dangerous situation but he didn't care. "You're no better than any of them." He spat and she almost flinched.

"It's the last time!" She replied, trying desperately to cling onto the person she had tried to be. The person who could go to the fancy school, who could be friends with the likes of him.

"Who told you that?" He asked. "That scumbag of yours? Or perhaps your father?" Her eyes flicked onto him and he nodded. "Oh yeah, we all know about him. Do you really think that we wouldn't find out? My father's a lawyer for god's sake! Joly's father works within the police! We knew who you were and we didn't care!"

She was ice cold. His words rung through her ears _we knew who you were_.

"This isn't something that you can brush aside. It isn't suddenly okay because it's your last job! This is a family!" He was practically shouting now.

"Oh yeah, like they'd even notice if one of their fifty tv's went missing!" Eponine retorted. Despite her tears she became tired of being seen as lower than others. They 'knew who she was' did they? Well good! She was proud that she didn't have everything handed to her! It was clear now that this whole time they had been treating her as a charity case to make them feel better. Look at the kindly posh boys who were able to look past the girl's low income and befriend her!

"Fuck the fact that you're stealing superficial things from them!" Enjolras retorted. "Think about what you're really doing! These people aren't going to feel safe in their own homes anymore! And I'm sure you know how that feels."

The force of his words almost knocked her off her feet. In their row, they had gotten so close to each other, shouting into the others face. Now Eponine stumbled back. His eyes were blazing just as they had done in the back rooms of the Musain. His chest was heaving as he breathed harshly. It was as if he were the sun, it hurt to look at him.

"You have to go." She said.

"Yeah." He replied simply. His anger had depleted. She had stumbled into some light and he finally saw how gaunt she looked. Her right sleeve was dripping with blood that came from god knows where. She looked so small. Her eyes darted behind them and he realised that it wouldn't just be him that would get hurt if they were caught. As he turned to walk away he wondered if he would ever see her again.

He had gone and Eponine didn't know what to do. She no longer felt the wind as she leant against the brick wall. Her arm throbbed and she could hear the blood hit the floor as it dripped from her sleeve. She couldn't care. His words swirled around her brain, hurting her with their truth. All this time she had been able to justify her actions with the thought that these people are rich; what's a few pounds to them? She had believed that the effects of her actions would be able to be fixed in hours. A new TV could be brought, new locks installed. She had never thought about the real effects. She now saw the woman she had stolen a watch from, now holed up in her house as she was scared to walk the streets on her own anymore. The countless families who now flinched whenever they heard an unusual sound at the door. She had lived so much of her life thinking that it was us against them that she had forgotten that everyone is human. She thought about how she would feel if Grantaire or Marius was mugged in the street.

When Montparnasse finally came to get her she was sat on the ground, tears falling unnoticed. He pulled her up and she cried out in pain. "Shut up!" He whispered before he herded her to the nearby car.

The back of the car was incredibly dirty, empty packets of crisps filling the foot-wells and the gross smell of old food wafted around them. She was sat by the window and stared out of it. Her father was smiling, another successful job completed. They drove back to the house in silence. Eponine trudged into her room as the men unloaded the car and Mrs Thenardier gasped in delight at what they had brought back.

Her room was cold and damp and all she wanted to do was sleep. Fatigue now plagued her, every move felt like she was wading through tar. She fell into her bed and prayed that sleep would come quickly. And then the door opened.

"He better keep his mouth shut." Eponine froze at Montparnasse's words. She saw his outline move toward her. "If he says one word, they'll be hell to pay."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said. His fist slammed into the wall next to her and she flinched.

"Bullshit!" He shouted. "You can tell you're rich prick that I'll be coming for him. And you know I don't play nice." He said as he gripped her injured arm. His breath was tinged with alcohol as he kissed her slowly. Then suddenly he cocked his head and smiled. "You know what? I think a demonstration might be better."

Enjolras lay awake in his room. He stared at the white ceiling in complete turmoil. If one of his parents had walked into his room they may have thought that he was sleeping. He was completely still, his hands clasped on top of his stomach and his breathing was slow. But his eyes would not close. When they did, all he saw was her face. So pale, so etched with fear and confusion. He didn't regret what he said, it was all true, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he should have been trying to help her. It wasn't her fault that she was born into a family where crime was commonplace. He took some time to think about what he might have done if he was in that family. What he might do if he had nothing to eat and saw a loaf of bread carelessly flung into a shopping bag. It was easy to say that his morals would hold out, but he wasn't sure. He had never been forced to look death in the face as frequently as he assumed Eponine had.

It was true that he and Grantaire had known about Eponine's father. What he hadn't relayed to her was how he acquired the information. After their first meeting where Eponine had shown up the two boys had been called into Patterson's office. It was a strange experience and one that Enjolras still thought about.

Patterson had sat in front of them with a grave expression on his face. "Now boys," he had begun. "There is something I need to discuss with you but it is of a sensitive nature. What I say to you now must not be repeated to any of your fellow peers." Enjolras had nodded, still wary of what was going to happen. Normally if they were called into this office it was to shut down their club, the club that Patterson had long thought was unnecessary. But this seemed different. "It has come to my attention that Eponine Thenardier has recently become a member of your group." They nodded again. "Now this was due to my instruction that she should try to ingratiate herself within the school community. But she comes with baggage."

"Baggage?" Grantaire repeated, the look in his eyes showed that he clearly thought this was insane.

"Yes," Patterson said, annoyed at the interruption. "She is one of our brightest students, a scholarship student as well and let's just say that she comes from a, well, a colourful family shall we say?"

"Can you elaborate on that sir?" Enjolras asked.

"Her father is Alastair Thenardier, a known criminal who is currently incarcerated." The headmaster stated simply. "This leads us to suggest that you do not get too involved with this girl, we do not want your reputations ruined by association."

And that had been it. They had been dismissed before Enjolras could argue against his Headmaster's sentiments. Of course they had never acted on this advice, the two boys quickly becoming enchanted by her refreshing point of view. Enjolras almost laughed, it had been exciting to meet someone who had struggled like they had not. He had found her interesting, had been almost jealous of her. And now they weren't laughing. The day he had seen her bruises he realised what her life had been like. All of a sudden it wasn't thrilling, it was frightening.

If the truth was told the reason he had been so angry to see her was that he was disappointed. Disappointed that she wasn't as strong as he liked to think she was. He had hoped that she could fight against her family, her father. But that was wrong. Because her strength didn't diminish with the events of tonight. It just meant that she was human. So completely flawed and yet still fighting. He just hoped that she would speak to him again when he next saw her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Enjolras arrived at school with red eyes and one thing on his mind; he needed to see Eponine. If she didn't turn up at school, he would go to her house and somehow track her down. He didn't care what trouble he got into, he couldn't leave it like that.

The boys seemed troubled by his appearance, he hadn't shaved and his eyes were darting around as they sat in the hall. Grantaire debated about whether he should try to engage the madman in conversation but decided against it. And he was glad he did when it turned out that Enjolras had lost all sense of hearing. Multiple times the boys would try and talk to him and he didn't even react.

"What do you thinks wrong with him?" Bahorel asked Grantaire as they all walked to their form rooms.

"Who knows?" Grantaire replied. "Could be anything, maybe he got stuck on a math question last night or something." Bahorel shrugged, seemingly satiated with the answer. But Grantaire knew it was something more than that. And the only thing that had ever distracted Enjolras to this extent was walking up the pathway to school at that exact moment.

Eponine's hood was up, shielding her head from view so Grantaire couldn't be sure it was her. But the jeans looked the same and the beat up old car they had seen her get into was driving away so he was fairly certain his guess was correct. The door to the school was situated by their form room and so they seemed certain to cross paths within the next few seconds. Suddenly Eponine looked up and the wind was knocked out of Grantaire.

Her right eye was purple. The bruise squeezed her eye into an unnatural shape and it seemed to affect her whole posture. Some other, less prominent bruises surrounded the main event, all smattering her skin with a green tinge. Grantaire had stopped moving as he watched her walk into the building just ahead of them. He also watched as Enjolras leapt into sudden movement, charging at the girl ahead of them.

"Eponine!" He yelled his mind swirling as he relived the moment when he saw her again. She looked so much worse. He let that happen. He should have saved her. She turned, eyes downcast.

"Not now Enj." She muttered. "Just… not now." She was deflated.

"No," He said, trying to convince her to stay with him. "I… I'm sorry." She looked at him. Her right eye was swollen but the other was suddenly alert.

"What?" She said.

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "You're not like them you're…" He trailed off as he saw her eyes begin to fill with tears. Before he could think about it he swept her up in his arms. He heard people's annoyed words as they pushed past the two, just wanting to get to their next class. He was mildly aware of Grantaire standing next to them, cursing out people who pushed and shouted at them. His attention was taken up with the girl in his arms. He decided then and there that if she couldn't be strong, he would have to be strong for her.

They had ditched school. It seemed way too inconsequential for them to focus on A levels at that moment. Instead, they had driven to the Musain and were now sat in the back room. Eponine, Enjolras and Grantaire. None of them knew what to say. Eponine felt so embarrassed. She had been so weak in front of them so many times. She hated it. She wished she could make them forget all about her. She wasn't usually like this. So wimpy and defeated. Her legs were tucked up under her arms and she peeked out at them. Both boys were simply watching her. Waiting for her to say something. She just wanted it all to be over. Her whole body was hurting, her mind was exhausted and she needed to sleep. She hadn't slept.

It didn't look like Enjolras had either. So their fight had affected both of them then. At least that was something. She wished he hadn't apologised. It wasn't him that was in the wrong. She was breaking into his neighbour's house for godsake! It would be so much easier if he yelled at her again. She thought if she stayed silent he might do. And then she could see that fire again. Right now he just looked worried. She hated that he was worried about her. He shouldn't have to be worried about her. She should be able to take care of herself.

"Jesus, is anyone going to say anything?" Grantaire finally exclaimed, making his two friends jump at the sudden noise. "Because I have no clue what the hell happened and would like to know if that's alright with you?"

"It's nothing." Eponine mumbled and Grantaire laughed.

"Oh yeah, your eye definitely tells me it was nothing." She raised a hand self-consciously to her eye, it throbbed painfully. "What happened to you?" He asked, his voice turning soft. "How can we help you?"

They sat in silence again. Enjolras felt his anger rise again. On the one hand he was so happy to see her, she may not have been in the best way but she was alive and he hadn't been sure she would be. But he couldn't understand why she wouldn't speak to him? Surely they had no secrets now?

"I can't go back." She said suddenly, and so quietly that the boys could hardly hear.

"What?" Enjolras said.

She was picking at the frayed edges of her jeans, avoiding any eye contact. "I can't go back." She said, a little louder. "I can't do it again."

"I thought you said it was your last job?" Enjolras asked as Grantaire looked perplexedly between them.

"That's what they said." She explained, her voice low. "But… Montparnasse heard you and now I have to do whatever he says or he'll tell Dad and you'll…" She trailed off but Enjolras got the idea.

"You'll stay with me." Enjolras said simply.

"No, I've already put you in danger I won't…"

"I don't care!" Enjolras said loudly. "If they come to my house, I'll call the police! I saw them break into the Moyer house, I could send them to jail!"

"You saw us break into the house." Eponine reminded him. "If you send them to jail, you send me right there with them." That silenced him.

"Not if you testify against them." Grantaire said. "If you helped bring them down they would probably let you off, especially with the…" He gestured to her face before trailing off.

"He's right." Enjolras said, suddenly enthused again. "If they found you we could use that as a threat!"

"Who says I'm willing to do that?" Eponine argued.

"Why not?" Enjolras replied. "None of them have ever done anything for you!"

"But they're family!" Eponine protested.

"No they're not." Interjected Grantaire. "Family do not treat each other the way you've been treated." Eponine looked down. If she was honest with herself, the idea of living with Enjolras wasn't all that bad. She would be warm, have food and a friend. "We can be your new family 'Ponine." He said. "You just have to let us help you."

The inside of Enjolras' house wasn't as grand as you'd expect it to be. The open plan, all-white kitchen led to the understated dining room which led back round to the entrance. The wooden staircase creaked and groaned under Eponine's feet as she followed Enjolras to his bedroom. The floors upstairs were carpeted and Eponine was glad she no longer had to hear her footsteps traipse around this house. This house that she felt she shouldn't be in. But Enjolras and Grantaire had been very persuasive and, in the end, she got tired of fighting something that she wanted. She looked around her. It was clear that the people living here had money, but it didn't feel garish or show-off-ish at all. It was just… nice. And clean, and well decorated.

Enjolras' room was even more understated. All he had was a bed, a desk and a wardrobe. No posters lined the walls and it had been painted a simple grey. It suited him but it also felt a little empty. He sat on the chair by his desk and she took her place on his bed.

"So," He said, a little awkwardly. "I guess the question is, where do you wanna sleep?" She smiled but didn't say anything. "You can sleep in my room, or there's the guest bedroom across the hall that you can take if you want? I mean, I'm not sure what I'm going to tell my parents but we have a couple of days before they get back to figure it out."

"Are you sure you're fine with this?" She asked quickly. "I'd understand if you want to change your mind."

"No!" He said firmly. "No, I want you to stay I just…" He fidgeted in his seat and Eponine had to admit that it was quite fun to watch him squirm. "I've never had a girl home let alone have one stay round."

"Oh." Eponine said simply. She had heard the boy's jokes about Enjolras' chastity but she hadn't taken it seriously. "Well, obviously you can say we're just friends." He nodded.

"There's no real need to worry about it yet." He said clearly wanting to change the subject. "So we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Eponine nodded. They sat there. "Do you want a proper tour of the place?" He asked.

"Sure." She said. "Why not?"

The house consisted of two floors, three if you count the attic. Each floor felt different to Eponine. The bottom floor was pristine, clearly used for entertaining and impressing guests. Their kitchen was decked out with the latest equipment, their living room looked out into the incredibly cultivated garden with its array of colourful flowers and interesting looking plants. The dining room was simple but had a mini-chandelier situated above the table.

The second floor felt more like a home. The bedrooms were all very similar, the guest bedroom having the nicest sheets and biggest wardrobe. The colours were all muted greys, yellows and greens. This floor held Eponine's favourite room so far. The office. The walls were lined with tall bookshelves with masses of books piled high. A small chair sat in the corner by a window opposite the desk with the computer on top. This is where Enjolras and Eponine ended up that evening. Eponine had collected a pile of books which she thought looked interesting and sat in the chair reading while Enjolras did school work. Their absence that day had been noted but they'd already sent in excuses, hoping to avoid the inevitable call home. They sat like that for some time, the only sound being the pages turned and the clacking of the keyboard. Both felt as if they could do this for the rest of their lives.

Unbeknownst to each other, quick glances were taken by both of them to watch the other. Eponine found herself admiring her friend's shoulders as his muscles moved as he shifted in his seat, constantly moving even though his hands were typing frantically. She enjoyed the way his stubble made his jawline more prominent and delighted in seeing specks of red within his growing beard.

Enjolras found himself being distracted just by her presence. How occasionally she would sigh and run a hand through her hair, sweeping it over to one side even though it quickly fell back into its original place. He could watch that sequence again and again. His eyes would also naturally fall to the line of her legs as she propped them up against the window pane. He detested himself. Here was a girl who needed nothing more than a friend and yet here he was, practically salivating at the sight of her. It was reprehensible and yet he could not stop himself.

Eventually the spell was broken by Eponine's stomach groaning at the lack of food inside it and Enjolras quickly shot into action. "Do you want something to eat?" He said turning to her. She had finished off one of the shorter books and was currently on the first chapter of an interesting Murder Mystery.

"Oh," She said suddenly noticing the dwindling light outside. "Yeah, if you have anything."

"I was thinking we could order in something? Like pizza." He said delighting in how she smiled at that.

"Sure, let's make it a proper sleepover." She laughed. "We can watch rom-coms and whisper about our crushes."

By the time the pizza had arrived they had turned the living room into a large blanket fort. Pillows and cushions covered the floor around the TV and a few blankets had been haphazardly tied up to hang from the ceiling. Enjolras wasn't too keen on the idea if he was being completely honest but Eponine had been so happy at the thought of it that he couldn't help but oblige. Occasionally he noticed her eyes drift off into the distance but he could bring her back to reality with new ideas of how to make the room better. She had also ransacked the entire house in certain of the perfect film for them to watch. She was still searching as he began to cut up the pizza.

"If you don't come down now I'm going to have to start eating this!" He warned as he heard her patter around upstairs.

"No!" Said her voice. "I called first slice!"

He chuckled a little. "Well hurry up then!" He said, getting plates from the cupboard. Eventually she bounded into the living room with a bunch of DVD's in her hand. "Got them!" She said. Her eye was still bruised and swollen but the rest of her face looked happy enough.

Enjolras dished out the slices before letting her tell him what DVD she had found. "Grease!" She said excitedly. Enjolras rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed with her choice when really he was rather amused.

"Go on then." He conceded. "You're the guest after all." She let out a little excited shriek and ran into the room leaving Enjolras to follow in her wake.

Eponine didn't know what time it was. One, two maybe? She wasn't sure. It was just dark. After the film they had talked and watch crappy TV and must've fallen asleep at some point. Now she lay there, within the blankets they had arranged and wondered whether if she moved Enjolras would wake up. He was lying somewhere to the left of her, the small sound of his breathing was the only thing that broke the silence. That was what had woken her up. She was so used to the sound of a busy street, or a couple fighting or at least some stray dogs barking. That symphony acted as her lullaby her whole life and the stillness of tonight made her feel uneasy.

She had been feeling uneasy all day. After embarrassing herself in front of her friends she had been too emotional to think realistically about running away. She supposed she was safe for a few days, Montparnasse will assume she's with her family and vice versa. But once they realise she's missing… she didn't know what would happen. A man hunt perhaps? With a target placed on her back she would have to run. Staying here would be being a sitting duck. Enjolras' grand idea of threatening to turn them in wouldn't hold out, she didn't think. They would kill her before she could go to the police. Maybe if she acted pre-emptively…?

"'Ponine?" Enjolras mumbled. She hadn't realised he'd woken up. She watched as he slowly sat up next to her. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," She assured him. "It's just quiet."

"Right," he said slowly. She could barely see him in the light, just the outline of his hair. "Do you want to put the TV on?" He moved to switch the button on the remote but she stopped him before he did.

"Tell me something." She said.

"Like what?" He asked. Unlike Eponine, he could see her quite clearly. She was lit up by the small amount of light coming in through the window. Her swollen eye looked almost black in the dark which made that side of her face look like it was cast in shadow. The other side was a soft blue.

"I don't know." She thought for a bit. "You know all my secrets." She stated and he nodded. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

Enjolras leant back onto his arms, his feet almost touched hers. "Enjolras isn't my actual name." He said.

"What?" She asked, taken off guard.

"Well," he quickly corrected himself. "It is my name, it's just my last name. My real name is Gabriel." He told her.

"How did I not know that?" She wondered.

"Everyone calls me Enjolras. Even the teachers now." He told her simply.

"Gabriel." She repeated, finding it funny how the name seemed so foreign to her. "So you're an angel then?"

He laughed. "Hardly." He sighed. "I think my mum just liked the name. She said it suited my hair." His voice seemed to suggest that he found basing a child's name off of their hair was ridiculous to him. But Eponine saw the logic behind it. With his striking blue eyes and halo of blonde curls he did look rather angelic.

They stared at each other for a while, Eponine unaware of the fact that Enjolras could see her eyes wander over his face. "I'm glad I'm here." She said softly and Enjolras smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

The next day they drove into school together. The rest of the boys greeted them as they drove in with delighted cheers and whoops. As soon as she was out of the car she was swept into Marius' arms. "'Ponine! You're back!" she laughed as he swung her around, enjoying the close proximity.

As one pair of arms left another took their place. She was practically passed round to each of the boys all of whom expressed their ecstatic feelings of having her back. "I wasn't gone that long was I?" She asked and Grantaire just shrugged.

"A couple of weeks without you felt like a lifetime love." He said and she couldn't help but smile at them all. She'd never been missed before.

The rest of the day was harder though, she was thoroughly behind on her schoolwork and the teachers all looked at her face curiously. Eponine had to fight the urge to walk around with a hand over her face as the many people gawped at her in the corridors. In a bid to draw their attention away from their friend Joly, Grantaire and Bahorel tore off their tops and proceeded to prance around in front of her. The laughter soon drowned out her worries and she decided that she loved these boys with all of her heart.

Enjolras took a firm backseat to all of these proceedings. He was happy, of course, that Eponine was back with them but he didn't feel the need to be so… liberal with his celebrations. His mind wandered back to that morning when he had awoken to find Eponine in his arms, her legs wrapped around his. He didn't know at what point in the night this had happened nor who instigated it but it seemed the two of them had decided not to talk about it. It had been nice, but shouldn't happen again.

No, he had decided that the feelings he had towards Eponine were purely brotherly.

Well, maybe not entirely brotherly, but that part he would squash down. He knew that what she needed right now was to be on her own; not tied to any other person. She should be completely selfish for a little while and then, maybe, something may happen. But it probably wouldn't happen with him. They just weren't suited, he supposed. He couldn't make her laugh as easily as Grantaire could and he wasn't as good as softening her up as Marius could. He was her friend, her equal, someone who would push against her to challenge her, but not her boyfriend. They were too alike, too stubborn.

It boiled down to the fact that he liked her far too much to complicate things. And she was such a refreshing gust of air that he was worried of dampening her spirit with his boring life. She deserved the best and Enjolras felt that the best was something he was unable to provide.

At the end of the day they all gathered at Enjolras' house. It hadn't been spoken but they were all worried about spending too much time in public. None of them knew whether Eponine had told her family about the Musain but even the idea of them lying in wait was worrisome enough that collectively they decided to avoid it.

So, instead of the tiny coffee table in the Musain the group now sat around Enjolras' dining room table. As the meeting grew on the boys became very amused at how domestic Enjolras and Eponine had gotten. She had only spent one day there but already she was bustling about the kitchen making drinks and getting Enjolras to fetch things for her. They all watched on, delighted as Eponine bossed their Great Leader about, even more happy that the man was following orders without a single argument.

"To the married couple!" Bahorel eventually said once the boys had all received their drinks. They all moved as one, raising their glasses and repeating the sentiments as Enjolras blushed and Eponine laughed.

"Oh come on love, they're only joking!" She said weaving her arm through his and patting his arm.

Enjolras made some incoherent noise trying to protest the laughter and Eponine just shook her head. "What a silly goose!" She said before placing a kiss on his cheek. Grantaire guffawed at Enjolras' shocked expression and the strange red colour he became.

That afternoon she, Marius, Cosette and Grantaire went to town to buy some new clothes for Eponine. No matter how much she protested that she was fine, everyone insisted that she should get at least two new tops to wear (her old one was incredibly tatty and after 'the incident' had a rather large blood stain down one arm.) That injury was giving her hell as she carried her bag but she hadn't yet told the boys of her incident. Instead she gritted her teeth through the pain and walked with them into the busy street.

The first shop they went into was a complete bust; having not shopped for clothes in months, Eponine felt incredibly out of place in any shop that seemed even the tiniest bit expensive. The interior was completely white, with silk curtains that hung around huge open windows. Pale roses were bunched together on little tables by each dressing room and as Eponine caught a glance of herself in the mirror, she knew she didn't fit in here. Her dark hair contrasted badly with the white-ness of the room and her tatted, dirty jeans were being watched suspiciously by the shop-keeper as if she was worried Eponine would spread dirt everywhere. Cosette, however, looked perfect. Her blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun on her head and although she was wearing jeans as well, her small frame seemed to seep into the background as if she was from the same palette. To be courteous, Eponine spent a few minutes pretending to browse as Grantaire attempted to flirt with the girl on the till.

The next shop was a little more successful, Eponine had managed to convince Cosette to look in a charity shop ("But you deserve better!" She had protested. "You're gorgeous, you need clothes that match that!") And the dusty smell that greeted them immediately made Eponine feel better. Like all charity shops, it was a little dark and empty but Eponine found a nice leather jacket that she liked and so she brought it on Cosette's condition that the next thing they brought would come from an 'actual' clothes shop.

As they walked down the busy, stone streets towards the next shop Eponine watched Marius and Cosette closely. They had now been dating for little more than a month and they were sickeningly sweet. They held hands as they walked and occasionally she noticed Marius squeeze his girlfriend's hand. At certain points they put their heads closer together and mutter things that made each other laugh. "You sure you're okay with this?" Grantaire asked, noticing the way she was studying the two in front of them.

"I think so." Eponine said, not completely sure whether that was true. So much had happened recently that she hadn't had too much time to think about Marius. She supposed that he was the reason she ran away but then again… maybe he was just the trigger. She had been feeling on the edge since becoming friends with the boys, constantly scared that they would figure out who she was and desert her. Thinking about it now, she may have run away to avoid that happening. She deserted them before they could desert her.

"So you're no longer going to pine for our freckled friend?" He asked, a little sceptically.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, he's with Cosette isn't he? It clearly doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon so… what's the point?"

"But he's so dreamy!" Grantaire teased and she shoved him. "No," He said seriously. "I think this is good."

"I mean, he's still hot so occasionally I may admire from afar…" She added.

"There it is." Grantaire chuckled. "I knew there was a catch."

They next shop they went to was a jackpot. There was no annoying shop-keeper looking down their nose at her and she felt weirdly happy. She and Cosette walked through the rows of clothes, picking out a few things they liked while Grantaire and Marius mucked about trying on ridiculous hats and sunglasses. She ended up buying a new pair of black jeans, a few simple T-shirts and a nice red dress that floated off of her hips and sat beautifully. The dress had been one of Cosette's choices and she had gasped when Eponine walked out of the changing room. "Oh that looks amazing!" She said before calling the boys over. Eponine blushed as the boys complimented her. "Doesn't that dress look wonderful?!"

Enjolras was sat in the office, finishing off an essay that he had meant to hand in today. Just as he was printing the essay his phone buzzed. Grantaire had sent him a picture of Eponine. She was stood in front of some kind of changing room, a hand covering her face in what seemed to be embarrassment and wearing a red dress. It was quite a simple dress but something about it made Enjolras almost drop the phone. He thought it might have been the fact that he had never seen Eponine in anything other than her usual clothes. Or it might have been the way the material clung to her hips and showed the curve of her body in a way he had never noticed before. Either way, he quickly saved the photo before replying.

'Tell her it looks wonderful' was Enjolras' reply. Grantaire smiled. The boy was long gone. Grantaire looked at Eponine now as she walked with Cosette laughing about something or other. He shut off his phone and re-joined the group, ignoring the strange gnawing feeling in his stomach.

After their shopping trip Cosette, Eponine, Marius and Grantaire all went back to the house. It was quickly decided that no one could be bothered to cook and so pizza was promptly ordered. While the boys argued over which movie to watch, Eponine and Cosette went upstairs to put the newly purchased clothes away.

As they were hanging the clothes Eponine felt a little awkward, she hadn't spent any time alone with Cosette since they were both children. "So…" She began. "Things seem to be going well with Marius?"

Cosette beamed as she smoothed out a dress before placing it into the wardrobe. "Yeah, it's great! I didn't expect I'd ever be so happy." Eponine smiled, genuinely happy for her. She knew of the misery of Cosette's childhood and so was glad to see that things had gotten better for her. "And you and Enjolras seem to be getting on just as well." Cosette added a little slyly.

"What?" Eponine said laughing.

"Oh come on!" Cosette said. "It's so obvious that he cares for you."

"Well sure, he cares for me." Eponine said, getting a little quiet. "We're friends."

"Yeah." Cosette scoffed. "Just friends." She gave Eponine a wink to emphasise her apparent disbelief. Eponine threw a pillow at her.

A few days had passed since Eponine had moved in and she was beginning to feel more at home. The house seemed less grand and more homely, she was no longer desperately afraid of touching anything, and she and Enjolras had fallen into a little routine. They would go to school and, if necessary, the boys would come back to the Enjolras house for a meeting. Once they'd gone, Enjolras would make dinner and they'd eat it before retiring to the study where they'd both do some work. For Eponine it would always be schoolwork but Enjolras would occasionally work on a speech or write a letter to a local MP. The group's charity efforts had to be brought down since they were still trying to hide Eponine and so Enjolras took this time to look into problems in the local community. Eponine rather liked watching him scratch his head and furrow his brow as he read. Then after doing this for about an hour Eponine would go downstairs to watch trash TV and Enjolras would tut and sigh at her choice before giving in and watching with her. It all seemed rather domestic.

"Gabe," Eponine called as the TV flickered. "Something's wrong with the TV!" When he didn't reply she got up and wandered around the hall-way looking for him. "Gabe!" She shouted. She heard a soft reply coming from the garage. "What's he doing in there?" She asked nobody in particular. "Gabe!" She yelled again. "TV's broken! How do you expect me to live like this?" She was still yelling when she pushed the door open.

Enjolras was standing in the garage shirtless, with an ironing board in front of him. On the ironing board was a white shirt which had a new pressed brown burn on it in the shape of the iron that was currently in Enjolras' hand emitting smoke. "Help?" was all Enjolras said and that was enough to send Eponine into a wave of giggles.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked, still laughing.

"I need to iron this shirt," Enjolras explained. "I'm seeing my grandparents tomorrow but I…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I can't do it." He admitted and that made Eponine laugh again. The mighty intellect that was Enjolras was defeated by an iron.

"Let me show you." She said shaking her head and she went over to him. She grabbed the iron from his hands and quickly turned it off. "You put too much water on." She explained before taking his spare shirt and showing him carefully how to properly iron it. "Have you never had to iron a shirt before?" She asked as he took over from her, convinced that he know knew how to do it.

"Well no!" He said. "Obviously." He added. "I just… someone else usually does it for me."

"Such a helpless little boy." She sighed before laughing. Enjolras didn't find it very funny.

"Now why were you shouting my name?" He asked once he had finished the job.

"TV's broken." She answered and he nodded as he pulled the shirt on.

"How will you survive?" He asked grinning and she rolled her eyes. "It was strange, you yelling my real name." He told her. "I had flashbacks to when I was being told off as a kid."

"Well, when I next tell you off I'll be sure to use your full name to get your attention." She told him. "Hey, what's your middle name?" She asked grinning.

Enjolras just shook his head. "Oh no." He told her. "We're not that close." She laughed as she followed him into the hall.

Seeing Enjolras nervous was not something she was used to. She sat on the stairs and watched as he paced up and down the hallway, occasionally stopping to fiddle with his tie or his hair.

"Just sit down." She pleaded on his fifth lap of the hall.

"They'll be here any second." He told her. "They don't like waiting."

"Jesus." Eponine muttered under her breath. To fluster the stone man they must be all kinds of terrifying.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Enjolras whipped around and froze, staring at the door. Eponine stifled a laugh. Slowly Enjolras straightened his spine and walked to the door, then paused just as his hand touched the black wood. "You should probably hide." He whispered, turning to her. She just rolled her eyes and crept up a couple more stairs. She was too interested to fully hide, she wanted to see the gruesome twosome in person.

The door opened to reveal a small, old couple who were smiling nicely and had on formal wear. It was a huge anti-climax for Eponine who had imagined them with three eyes each. Greetings were passed around between the three and Eponine was interested to note that Enjolras' Grandpa had the same booming quality to his voice as his grandson.

"You're looking well!" Mr Enjolras said patting his grandson's head. Enjolras grimaced in return.

"Thanks, you're looking well as well." He replied awkwardly.

"Well aren't you going to invite us in?" Mrs Enjolras said suddenly pushing herself past Enjolras into the hall. Eponine didn't react quickly enough. "And who are you?" The woman said, her tone dropping dramatically. She tutted. "Enjolras, really you should insist on your maids wearing some kind of a uniform she looks incredibly scrappy."

Eponine's eyebrows raised at the idea of her being Enjolras' maid. The boy in question sighed and cursed Eponine for not taking his advice. "She's not a maid 'ma." He said gesturing for Eponine to come down the stairs. As Eponine walked closer to the old woman she became more and more aware that she was wearing one of Enjolras' old shirts and shorts. No one should show so much leg next to an older, rich woman that was one thing Eponine knew.

True to form, Enjolras' Grandma fixed her with a look of pure disdain as she trailed her eyes up and down Eponine's attire.

"'Ma," Enjolras began. "This is Eponine, Eponine this is my Grandmother." Eponine reached to shake her hand but the Grandmother did not return the gesture. Eponine's hand hung awkwardly in between them.

"Well." Mr Enjolras broke the silence. "It is nice to meet you Eponine, I am Elijah pleased to meet you." Eponine was suddenly pulled into an embrace. After she was released the four of them stood in uncomfortable silence. Enjolras' stare was fixed to the floor worried that he may laugh if he looked at his friend.

"We should probably get going." Enjolras eventually said. "The reservation is for 12 and we wouldn't want to miss it."

"Good idea." His Grandmother said. "Let's get going, Elijah shall we let Gabriel drive today?"

"Why not?" Elijah said, clapping his hand against Enjolras' back. They all turned to leave, Enjolras leading the way out of the house followed by his tottering Grandmother. Eponine hung back, hoping that she would be able to blend into the wall. Just as she thought she was saved, Elijah turned his attention back to her. "Why doesn't Eponine join us?" He offered.

Quickly Eponine tried to resist. "Oh no, it's fine, you go to lunch. Have some family time. I'd be intruding."

"Not at all!" Elijah insisted. Dammit, thought Eponine.

"She's got work to do." Enjolras added, equally determined to get Eponine off of the hook.

"Nonsense, you're young! You can work when you're old like me." Elijah was fixed to the doorway, the rest of the Enjolras clan were standing by the car and Elijah's wife was beginning to get impatient.

"Elijah look at the girl!" She suddenly protested. "She can hardly come to the Laguine dressed like that!"

That began to get Eponine riled up. She looked at the woman who was wearing a light blue power suit with some kind of animal skin draped around her shoulders. She was the kind of woman who had been tearing down people like Eponine for centuries. Convinced that they were superior to anyone because they had money. Well, Eponine decided that she was suddenly very hungry.

"You know what?" She said to Elijah. "Lunch sounds lovely."

The Laguine was one of those restaurants that was almost too posh. With blue and pink paisley walls lined with gold detail she felt as if she was in a fairy-tale castle. She half expected a pink talking bunny to take their orders. The tables were laden with a perfectly white table cloth and about five pieces of cutlery too many. As she walked in she realised that she had made a terrible decision. Margery Enjolras was right; she really shouldn't be there. At least she was wearing a shirt, she thought to herself, too bad it belongs to the boy she was sitting next to. In the car she had managed to scrape her knotted hair into a ponytail so it didn't look so scruffy, but within the walls of the Laguine she felt as if she had been dragged through 50 bushes backwards, stranded on a remote island for two years without a shower, and doused in shit.

Enjolras was just as uncomfortable. It was hard enough going for a meal with his Grandparents but now he also had Eponine to watch out for. He could feel his Grandmothers stare on them as they sat in silence next to each other. Enjolras was very careful to make sure that not one part of their bodies were touching. Why had she had to wear that shirt? Why had she not hidden when he'd told her to?

"So," Elijah began, breaking the silence that had lasted from the house to the restaurant. "How did you meet Enjolras?" He asked Eponine.

"We go to school together." She replied, a little quieter than she had spoken before. A few glances were being thrown her way, half were of disbelief and half were with disgust. She stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Oh really?" Margery said. "You can afford to go to that school?"

"Gran." Enjolras protested sensing Eponine's temper rising again.

"Actually I'm on scholarship." Eponine replied.

"'Ponine is one of the highest achievers in the school." Enjolras told them, willing them to show her a little more respect.

"Well that's very admirable." Elijah said smiling at the girl sat in front of him. The drinks arrived and Eponine wished she had ordered something a little stronger than tea. "So how long have you two been courting?" Eponine struggled not to spit out her tea.

"We're not dating Grandpa." Enjolras told him calmly. "She's just a friend who needed somewhere to stay."

Eponine heard Margery scoff and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well," Elijah said, pouring milk into his tea and swirling the liquid around with his spoon. "It's nice to see you branching out from your usual group of anti-establishment buffoons." Eponine noticed how Enjolras straightened a little at the blatant criticism.

"Unfortunately I guess I'm also a buffoon as you put it." Eponine said. This commented a slight raise of the eyebrows from the old man. "And we've been focusing on helping the local community recently."

"Well it's not surprise you're so keen to encourage our boy to give charity. One tends to help those similar to oneself." Margery said sweetly. Eponine fought the urge to scowl at her.

Before Enjolras could retort, the food was brought out and there was a sweet relief where there was no conversation. Eponine determined that her best option was stuffing her mouth so she didn't say something she would regret.

Elijah also had the good mind to take the conversation on a different course. "So Jeremy at the office is very keen for you to go back up there." He began. "He said your presence at the office is missed. A bit of young blood does the older ones well. They begin to want to prove themselves a lot more when a whipper-snapper like you comes along."

"Right." Enjolras said forcing polite chuckles.

"I mean," Elijah continued. "You might as well spend as much time there as possible. Get used to layout before it becomes your office."

Eponine watched Enjolras as he quickly took a sip of water. He looked uncomfortable and she wished she knew what to do to alleviate his discomfort. "The thing is Grandpa…"

Margery cut him off. "Oh please Gabriel, if this is going to lead to your nonsense about wanting to be a civil lawyer I will not stand for it." Enjolras felt a hand brush against his leg. "You know that you will join your father's firm at the end of school and there's no need to waste your time with silly thoughts about taking a stand for the people and whatnot."

"Your Grandmother's right I'm afraid." Elijah added. "I understand how it is tempting to fight the good fight and all. As you know I thought about entering that career path myself. But my father said the same thing to me as I'm saying to you. It's madness to go into a base-level position at some other company rather than becoming a partner at the families firm within two years. You'd be an idiot to do anything but follow the path that has been laid out for you."

Enjolras sighed, this argument eventually came up every time he had a meal with his family. They all expected him to become a lawyer like his family had been for generations. But he had seen what that job did to a person. It makes you become solely focused on money. You are taught not to care whether your client is guilty or not, your services just go to the highest bidder. Screwing over people, taking advantage of those with less information, you did whatever you had to do to get your client off. It made you immoral. It had made his father immoral. But Enjolras would not become that person. He had spent his life trying to be as empathetic and moral as he could, taking time to understand politics and the plight of the less fortunate. He would not use his privilege to further himself.

With Eponine's hand reassuring him he was able to bite back the many retorts he had stored. Instead he just said: "Of course" and felt the flames that burned inside of him, determined to prove them all wrong.

The rest of lunch was tense. The quartet made polite conversation while the younger two tried to eat as quickly as possible. Eponine fought back the urge to hit Enjolras' Grandmother when she made comments about how the waiter would probably try to steal her purse if she didn't keep it on her lap and Enjolras tried to ignore the fact that Eponine had not removed her hand from his thigh.

The Grandparents sat in almost complete bliss, unaware of the irritation and offence they were causing. They had no reason to. Around them sat almost exact replicas of themselves, all in expensive suits with thinning hair but thick wallets. Eponine entertained herself by silently planning how she could steal from every one of them. It would have been easy. But she daren't. And besides, that part of her life was firmly behind her. She was determined.

Both Enjolras and Eponine sat with fire stirring in their souls. Both determined to avoid the fate of their parents. Both determined that they would do better. At that moment it became apparently clear to both of them that they would be fighting for the rest of their lives. And that only hardened their resolve.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

It was beginning to get bitterly cold in the evenings and this one was no exception. Eponine had come in from school with a red raw nose, shivering in her oversized coat that she borrowed from Cosette. Luckily Enjolras had set a fire for her. He was sitting on the sofa reading a book when she came into the living room. Immediately she breathed a sigh of relief, the warmth immediately covering her and allowing her to sit in comfort. Enjolras smiled as she came in, gesturing to her to sit next to him. She obliged and tucked her head into his shoulder as she had always imagined doing. He made no move to stop her and so they sat like that for a while. Her reading over his shoulder, much to his unnoticed annoyance.

"This is nice." She muttered softly and he nodded.

"It is." He replied.

Suddenly she heard a knock at the door. Before she could get up, Enjolras was at the door and opening it to reveal a tall shape that she vaguely recognised, although the shadows cast by the fire obscured his face. The figure stepped into the room. She knew who he was. Her heart began to race and her hands started to sweat. Her father was standing there, staring at her.

"Enjolras?" She asked, unable to bring the full sentence to her lips.

"What's the matter Eponine?" Enjolras asked stepping into line with her father. "Aren't you glad to see your Daddy?" He smiled and it made Eponine's insides drop. Why was he here? What was Enjolras doing?

The room around her suddenly felt like it was closing in, the two faces became distorted until she couldn't tell who was speaking. "Did you really think I'd let you stay with him?" A voice boomed. She was so small and the figure in front of her seemed so large. She looked around, the room no longer looking like the familiar living room. Instead, they were back in the old pub. She could tell by the brown walls and red carpet that stuck to her as she tried desperately to get away. "Did you really think you could get away from me?" The voice asked as it bared over her. She could smell his breath and prepared herself for what was coming. The fist swung towards her as she heard something in the distance that almost sounded like her name. Her father grinned as his fists began to thrash towards her.

"Eponine!" She opened her eyes with a start. Enjolras was there, although she couldn't see his face as clearly as she had a second ago. Her body heaved as she gasped for air, sitting up abruptly in her bed. "It's okay," Enjolras' voice said. "It was just a dream, you're safe." She felt his arms wrap around her as she began to see her surroundings more clearly. It was just a dream. He wasn't there. He hadn't found her.

"Gabriel." She said and he gave her one last squeeze before letting her sit up by herself.

"Are you okay?" he asked and she nodded. He had been so scared. A few minutes ago he'd awoken to the sound of her screaming. Fearing the worst, he had torn out of his bed, sprinting down the hall into her bedroom to find Eponine thrashing in her bed, but sleeping. Relief had been brief however as he noticed her hands begin to clutch at her own throat. That had been when he'd held her, hoping that this would help her to get her bearings again. He'd never heard anything sweeter than his name on her lips in that moment. She was okay, he was there.

"I'm fine." She said, suddenly covering herself up in her duvet again. "Sorry." She apologised.

"What for?" Enjolras chuckled. "There's nothing you should be sorry for." He told her.

She looked down, wishing that the ground could swallow her up. Why was it that in her weakest moments Enjolras was always there? And he never seemed fazed either. Any normal person would be running for the hills at this moment. But he stayed.

"What was it?" he asked, breaking the silence that had lapsed.

"My father." She said simply and he nodded. Suddenly he noticed her eyes were filled with tears. He tentatively took her hand in his. "Your house is too quiet." She told him, her voice betraying no evidence of the tears he had seen.

"My apologies." He said and she let out a little laugh. "I will try to encourage more traffic around here."

"That would be helpful." She quipped and he chuckled. Content that she was okay, Enjolras went to get up but was quickly stopped by Eponine's small, "Wait." She had been surprised at how disappointed she had been when he'd removed his hand from hers. The small, reassuring motions he had made along her palm had soothed her anxiety and she wasn't sure if she wanted to let that go. Enjolras was staring at her. She peered up at him through the hair that hung around her shoulders. "Could you…" She hesitated. "Could you stay?" The question needed no thought, Enjolras immediately smiled and climbed into bed next to her. The only connection the two bodies had was through the hands that held each other, quite contentedly.

"Gabriel." He could hear his name being called faintly but he wasn't quite sure if it was real or not. While hearing his first name was a rarity that would have usually caught his attention a rendition of it had been playing around in his head all night. Eponine's soft whisper had caught him off guard. His whole body had been filled with a warmth and then, it seemed, set on fire just by those three syllables. "Gabriel?" This voice seemed a little harsher and a little louder than he had heard it before but he wasn't overly concerned. His main focus was now on the way his friend felt in his arms. As he drifted into consciousness he noticed how she was wrapped around him in a way that he had never experienced. Her head was on his chest and instead of being uncomfortable it was rather wonderful. The scent of her hair drifted into his nose and he enjoyed the heat she provided. "Gabriel? What the hell is this?" That got his attention.

His eyes snapped open to see his mother standing in the doorway. He couldn't move, paralysed in this compromising position. He saw his father come up behind his mother and their faces quickly shared the same shocked expression. "Er…" He stumbled, unsure what his best move was.

"Gabriel Enjolras, what the hell are you doing with a girl in your bed?" His father yelled. It was Eponine's turn to wake up now. Her head popped up from his chest and initially she looked at him, incredibly confused by the sudden disturbance. Then she turned around, gasped quickly, and leapt off of him under the covers.

"It's not what it looks like?" He said meekly.

"Downstairs." His father said, unnervingly calmly. "Now."

Enjolras quickly slipped out of the bed, looking back at Eponine who peeked out of the sheets. They shared a confused and worried look but daren't say anything to each other. Instead all Enjolras could do was follow his parents downstairs and into the dining room where they sat across from each other, glaring at their son.

"You have thirty seconds to explain." His father said.

Immediately Enjolras started to ramble. "So, the thing is… she's just a friend I swear but she needed a place to stay and then in the night she had a nightmare about… well anyway, I went in to make sure she was okay and…" he trailed off. Of all the many lines of arguments he had taken over this years, this was by far his weakest.

"This 'friend' of yours," Enjolras' mother, Demi, began. "Why did she need a place to stay in the first place?" She asked.

"She had to get away from her family." Enjolras answered, unsure of how much he should give away. If his parents knew the truth, he was sure they'd let her stay but he couldn't betray Eponine's trust like that.

"So what, oh let me guess, she ran away because her parents are like, sooo overbearing and wouldn't let her skip school to go to the Green Day concert?" Hearing his mother put on that Snotty Girl voice almost made him laugh it was so out of character.

"No actually…" Enjolras began but he was cut off.

"No matter what the circumstances were," Enjolras Snr said. "You should've have consulted us before letting her stay. Just because we're away doesn't mean that you can do whatever you like." He chastised. "Now, Demi would you please go upstairs and help the girl pack? I need a quiet word with our delightful son." Mrs Enjolras didn't seem too happy with the idea but she nodded and stood up without a word.

Once she had left the room Enjolras Snr turned to his son. "Why the hell did you let a Thenardier into this house?" Enjolras was shocked.

"How did you…" He began but once again was cut off.

"I'm a lawyer in this area for God's sake!" He cried. "Of course I know who the man is! I've put him away a few times in my youth. And therefore I am very aware of his family especially when they're suddenly enrolled in the same school as my son!"

"She's not like them." Enjolras tried to explain.

"Of course she is!" He yelled. "You think you can grow up with that monster as a father and not grow up to be like him? I expected some kind of common sense from you son, not to be taken in by a pretty thing with a so-called tragic backstory!"

"You don't know her."

"And you think you do? How do you know that everything she's done hasn't been a lie? She could have been sent by her father to seduce you into a sense of security where you don't notice she's robbing you blind!" Enjolras rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't trust scum like that."

He seethed with anger. He had never wanted to punch his father so much in his life. How dare he make assumptions about her? How dare he call her that? He couldn't believe that his father would be capable of such incredible blindness to anything other than class.

"She's my friend." Enjolras said, his eyes meeting his father. "She is the most caring person I know and you have no idea what you're talking about. You say that he's a monster? She would agree. That's why she came here, to escape that life!" His words did nothing. Enjolras Snr just sat there, unmoved and expressionless.

"You are not to talk to her." Enjolras made a huff of indignation. "You are not to speak of her again, she is not to step even a foot into this household again." Enjolras made to walk out of the door but his father caught his arm. "I don't care if you fallen in love with the little tart, she will never be accepted by our family."

Eponine sat in silence as Enjolras' mother packed away her things. She had Enjolras' hair, or rather, Enjolras had hers. The golden curls had been preened to fall loosely over her shoulders. Her eyes, however, were darker than her son's eyes. They now refused to look at Eponine who had quickly pulled on some more clothes when the family had left the room. She found it hard to hold in the laughter. It was just such a ridiculous situation, such bad timing. Her legs had been completely intertwined with his, their hands still clasped and her head on his chest. If this wasn't compromising enough she was only wearing a t-shirt. And, she suddenly realised, that t-shirt belonged to Enjolras. Again, the laughter bubbled. It had been nice though, for that short moment when she had woken and not realised the intrusion. His chest was hard but so warm and comfortable and the way his hands had been rubbing her back… she definitely understood why the parents had been so shocked. They must have looked like lovers. She found herself thinking of his lips. She thought about how she probably shouldn't think about him like this for too long, they were friends after all. Though perhaps, they had moved a little from that now.

His mother made a sound to tell her that she had finished and that Eponine was expected to follow her. As they went downstairs she heard raised voices from the dining room. She wondered who was winning that argument. It would be an interesting thing to see two Enjolras' argue. If he was anything like his son Enjolras Snr would be a force to be reckoned with. She had hoped that she would catch sight of Enjolras once more before she left but the door did not open and suddenly she was ushered into a taxi.

She sat there once the door had been shut, suddenly realising that she had no idea where to go.

As soon as he could Enjolras was out looking for Eponine. He'd left the dining room assuming that she was still upstairs and became close to enraged when he found out she'd been shoved in a taxi and left. His father had shouted some warning behind him but Enjolras took no notice. He jumped in his car and wondered where she could have gone.

Grantaire's phone lit up. "Hey, it's fine she's here." He heard his friend's sigh over the phone. "We're at the café."

"Okay." Enjolras said it sounded like he was in the car. The boy must be worried to have broken the law. "I'll be there in five minutes." The phone clicked as he hung up.

"So, tell me again why you were cuddled up with our Golden Boy?" Bahorel said, unable to contain his amusement at the story. The rest of the boys were equally enthralled with the tale of their great leader's first sex scandal.

"It was completely innocent!" Eponine protested. Now that she had a coffee in her system she was a little more awake and a little more aware of what had happened. "I had a nightmare in the night, I thought my father had found me…" The boys nodded, their gleeful smiles not faltering for a second. "And I was calling out and stuff so Enjolras came to check if I was alright."

"I bet he did." Joly added and the boys laughed uproariously.

"Oh shut up!" Eponine said, whacking his arm. "Anyway, so yeah we then _completely innocently_ ," She emphasised. "Fell asleep and then the next thing I know there's two angry strangers at the end of our bed."

"Interesting that you said 'our bed' 'Ponine, has Enjolras made it a habit to come and 'check up on you' in the night?" Combeferre quipped and Eponine rolled her eyes.

"What did Demi do?" Grantaire asked. As much as he found the situation incredibly amusing he also knew Enjolras' parents.

"She was livid, threw my things in a suitcase in complete silence, not even looking at me before shoving me into a taxi." Eponine explained.

"And his dad?" Grantaire asked.

"I heard them arguing as I left." She said and Grantaire cursed under his breath. Fighting with his father always put Enjolras into the worst mood. Grantaire prepared himself for a lot of damage control.

Well, as they say, speak of the devil and he doth appear. Grantaire thought as Enjolras strode into the room. The laughter and chatter that had prevailed now stopped as they all waited for him to speak.

"Are you okay?" His first words were directed at Eponine who nodded. "Right, well… according to my father I should no longer be friends with you." The boys scoffed, but Eponine just watched him. "That, of course, is absurd but it does mean that you won't be able to live with me anymore." She had assumed this and had been thinking of solutions the whole morning.

"What about my house?" Grantaire offered but Enjolras shook his head.

"I'm assuming that at this exact moment my father will be calling all of your fathers to warn them off of accepting 'Ponine into their homes." Eponine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before Enjolras admitted. "He knows who your father is Ep." She wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, what did it matter? It's not as if her friends didn't know now. But there was another hand that worried her, if Enjolras' father told the police her location, her father would know within seconds. If her father knew where she was… Eponine refused to think about that.

"What about Cosette?" Marius, who before had been unusually quiet, suggested. "I'm sure she'd let you if you asked." Eponine nodded. She knew Cosette would help her, she had never known anyone to be as compassionate as her fair-haired friend. It was just a question of whether she wanted to stay with her. Would it be awkward for the two of them who had only recently been reacquainted? Enjolras looked at Eponine, waiting for her reply. He wished that she could come back with him; the house would feel empty without her.

"Alright, I'll see if I can stay with Cosette."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Marius decided that it would be best if he posed the question and Eponine wasn't about to stop him. It was hard enough having to ask for help, let alone doing it face to face. She knew Cosette would take her in; the girl really did have the biggest heart she had ever witnessed. But now lay a limbo where Eponine didn't have anywhere to go. "I think I'm going to take a walk around town." She said after ten minutes of boredom sat at the Musain. It was difficult to sit still at times like this, when everything was up in the air. To think that just ten hours ago she was asleep at Enjolras' not having thought that the arrangement was anything but permanent.

"I'll come with you." Enjolras said, standing as she walked to the door.

"Oh," She said, surprised. "Don't you have to go back to your parents?" She asked, after all, they'd only come back to town this morning.

"I don't think I'm in the right frame of mind to talk to them yet." He told her. She shrugged accepting his offer and the two of them walked out of the café together. Unbeknownst to them as soon as they left a conversation was struck up between the remaining boys about how peculiar their two friend's relationship was. Grantaire remained silent, confident in his interpretation of the situation but unwilling to shed any light on the matter.

As they walked down the street Enjolras couldn't help but notice how comfortable it was to have her at his side. Their footsteps fell into the same rhythm and the small amount of conversation that was made was easy. A few comments about the people who passed them or an acknowledgment of the weather. He didn't know what effect she was having on him. How he seemed lighter whenever she was with him. The boys had noticed, smiles came more easily to him when the jokes came from her and he never seemed as serious. If the boys had known Eponine for long enough they would have noticed that she was effected too. If not the fact that she was more secure in her life she had also become more confident in her intelligence. Whereas before she had always felt as though she was struggling to prove something, she felt as if she was appreciated by Enjolras without having to try.

Before long Eponine came across a little bookshop and decided that this would be the best way to kill a few hours. Enjolras followed along after her as she traipsed through the isles looking for something to read. "Why not try a classic?" Enjolras asked as she took another lap around the shop.

"No," She protested. "They're all too stuffy and boring. I want something I can read quickly."

"Well what's the point in that?" he asked. "Surely you read to waste time-especially today." She hummed in thought and paused.

"Maybe." She said and Enjolras sighed but conceded. A maybe was as good as he was going to get. "What I really want is a good crime story." She told him as they continued to walk down the cramped aisles. Enjolras sometimes had to duck as the ceiling lowered the further into the shop they got.

"Trying to reconnect with your past?" Enjolras said off-handedly. Eponine suddenly whipped around and Enjolras thought for a second he had offended her.

"Was that a joke?" She said in mock surprise. "A real joke from the great stone Apollo?" her hand held her chest. "I never thought I'd see the day!" She pretended to swoon and faint as he pushed past her, less amused.

"Ha ha." He said and he heard her giggle behind him.

After what felt like hours Eponine finally found a book that she liked and once she'd paid for it they stepped back out into the cold air. It was really coat weather but since she had been in a rush all she was wearing was a thin hoody. She shivered as they walked back down to the Musain.

"Oh hang on just a second." Enjolras said as they went past the pharmacy. "I just need to pick up my prescription I won't be a minute." He dashed into the shop and Eponine decided not to follow him. She was cold but she doubted he'd be too long. Instead she leant against the shop window and looked out at the busy street.

For such a cold day there were rather a lot of people about. She guessed it would be something to do with the build up to Christmas but she was firmly against the idea of buying gifts before the tenth of December. She thought about what her Christmas might be like this year; the boys would surely have some kind of a gathering and she hoped she would be allowed to come along. The idea of spending Christmas Day with Grantaire and Enjolras made her heart swell a little. They would swap presents and sit by the fire and it would be just the way she had always wanted Christmas to be.

Suddenly her warm reverie was broken. She thought she saw… no. It was so unlikely. She looked again. Her heart dropped. Montparnasse was there, just across the street from her. He was coming out of the pub, his usual jacket pulled up to his neck to protect him from the cold. He hadn't seen her. She should move. His jaw was lined with a smattering of hair, a beard if you could even call it that. His hair was now long enough that the wind had picked it up, making it float out behind him. He looked… normal. In fact, she noticed some of the girls stare at him, willing him to look their way. All Eponine could do was hope he didn't.

And then he did.

He stopped still and stared at her. She felt as though her pulse had stopped. She could no longer hear the bustle of the street, the ringing in her ears filled her head with incessant noise as he smiled at her. A smile that covered his whole face. A smile that, if seen out of context, may have been contagious it was so bright. He looked like the cat who had found its prey. He walked towards her and she willed herself to move. She made a couple of stumbling steps as she gripped onto the shop for support. Her legs had given way, were completely numb. She gasped breaths as she tried to run but before the message reached her legs she felt a hand grip her arm.

"Found you." He whispered and she turned to look at him.

"Please?" Was all she said. He just laughed and shook his head.

"Oh no no no." He told her. "We've been looking for you." He drew her closer to him so that she could feel his breath hit her face. "You've been a very naughty girl haven't you? Daddy is not happy with you." She grimaced. "You can't imagine how worried we've been." His voice was unnaturally high, taunting as he smiled at her. That smile hadn't faltered since the moment he had seen her. But his eyes seemed black. "You left me." He told her and she felt his hands grip her arm tighter. She held back the yelp of pain as she felt his nails bite at her skin. "Why did you do it 'Ponine? You know I loved you and now I have to…" He trailed off as his voice betrayed some sign of emotion. "You're coming home my love."

Enjolras walked out of the shop and immediately stopped when he saw that Eponine had gone. Shit, he thought. He'd lost her again. He scanned the crowd, hoping to see her across the way walking in or out of another shop. If she'd just wandered off, perfect, but his gut told him something else had happened. Suddenly he heard a shout. His head whipped around to the source of the noise.

He had her.

He didn't know how he'd found her. But there he was. Holding her. For a second he thought it had happened again. She'd gone back to him. But then he saw how Montparnasse was holding his nose and Eponine was scrambling to get away. His legs jumped into action. As his feet pounded the pavement he kept his eyes on her. She was now on the floor, Parnasse had done something and it was getting the attention of people around them. A few stopped to watch, a few just carried on. He made it to her in minutes, shouting her name. She turned to look at him, her nose was bloody. He flew to her side and picked her up, holding her at his side. Montparnasse just sneered at him.

"Oh good, posh boy is back." He spat at them. "Sorry mate but she's coming with me."

"No." Was all Enjolras said. His heart was beating wildly and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins clouding his vision. This was the guy who had put the bruises onto Eponine's face.

Montparnasse put his head to the side and clicked his teeth. "Too bad." He launched himself At Enjolras.

Eponine was flung to the side as the two boys fought. The sound of crunching bones and curses filled the street and a crowd had begun to gather. She needed to get her and Enjolras out of their before the police showed up. She could see people on their phones already. As she watched, Parnasse landed a blow to Enjolras' face which made a sickening crack and he was knocked to the floor. Eponine ran to him but he was already pulling himself up. The two boys stood facing each other, unsure of who was going to make the first move. Eponine pulled on Enjolras' arm. "We have to go!" She yelled desperately and suddenly Enjolras was looking at her. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat that now mingled with blood. "We have to go Gabe." She said again and this time he seemed to hear her. Sirens could be heard in the distance and that was all Montparnasse needed. He quickly vanished into the crowd and Eponine took her chance to drag Enjolras behind her.

The crowd that had surrounded the little performance they had put on was thick and people pushed against each other making it almost impossible for the both of them to get through. Eponine could see policemen strolling up to the crowd shouting questions and orders to get through. Eponine's hand gripped Enjolras' tighter as they pushed through, desperate to get out. She could feel the walls close in around her as the blood trickled from her nose. Finally they got through and ran as quick as they could into a side street that led to an alleyway.

They stopped there, their lungs desperately needing air. The two of them leant up against the harsh brick wall and Eponine gasped for air, her chest heaving as she did so. "Are you okay?" Enjolras asked her and she nodded.

"You?" She asked and he returned her nod. They looked at each other then. Both sweating, both looking terrible. "Thanks." She said quietly as her breathing returned to normal.

"It was nothing." He replied and she laughed. He watched as she breathed deeply, looking up to the overcast sky. "'Ponine," He said and she looked at him. "Are you okay?" He repeated. At first she nodded forcing a smile, but as he watched her eyes began to fill with tears and without thinking he quickly pulled her into his arms, resting his head on top of hers.

"He found me." She whispered and he nodded, rubbing her back.

"I know." He felt her body shake and he held her tighter to him. "But you're safe. I'm here."

"You're here." She repeated. The fear that she had suddenly felt started to dissipate with the calming motions his hands made across her back. He felt so warm and being in his arms felt so good. She trusted him when he told her she was safe because she felt it. She felt so completely safe in his arms.

Enjolras wasn't sure why it happened but suddenly they were looking at each other and they were so close that he was sure he could practically count the number of her eyelashes. She peered up at him watching how his Adam's apple bopped as his face moved closer to hers. She closed her eyes as she closed the gap between them and Enjolras let out a small sigh when their lips met. He was surrounded by her, his hands stayed on her waist as if he was worried she might vanish into thin air as she had so often done in his dreams. Her hands flew up into his hair and brushed the sides of his jaw as the kiss deepened. Neither of them had realised how badly they had wanted the other until this moment. They were sweaty and parts of their bodies ached with pain but it felt safe. They saw each other for who they were, none of them ever having let anyone get as close to them as they had let the other. In this moment, everything came together and neither of them wanted it to end.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

As they walked back to the Musain Eponine's phone rang. Both of them looked at each other, suddenly panicked that it would be the police. But luckily she recognised the number. "Hey Cosette!" She said hoping her voice sounded light and normal. In truth she was freaking out. She and Enjolras had just kissed after running from the police and fighting with Montparnasse. There was a lot to process in such a short time.

"'Ponine!" Her friend squealed. "Of course you can move in! I've just cleared it with Pa but he said it's completely fine so you're in!" The excitement dripped from the phone and Eponine hoped that it was genuine, the last thing she wanted was to be a burden.

"Are you sure it's okay Cos?" She asked and immediately heard her friend sigh.

"Of course. It would be lovely actually to have some company for once!" Eponine agreed knowing how her father lived his life almost as a shut-in sometimes even to his own daughter. "But come over whenever you want and we can get you set up. You have everything from Enjolras' right?"

"Right." She said in slight disbelief that she'd been kicked out only this morning. She looked at Enjolras and thought about how much had changed in that small amount of time. "Well I'll be round in ten minutes or so?"

"See you then!" Cosette said before shutting off the phone.

"I'm guessing that means Cosette said yes?" Enjolras asked and Eponine nodded. Her hand self-consciously fiddled with a piece of her hair as they continued to walk.

Enjolras was almost in a complete state of shock. He walked along but the pavement felt like air, it felt like he was walking on clouds. His eyes were focused on the street ahead of him but his mind was still in that alleyway kissing 'Ponine. He didn't know what to think of it. Should they talk about it? Was it too soon to talk about it? Did she feel the same way? In that moment all the feelings he had been ignoring came flooding forward, his head was awash with memories of the first time he had held her in his arms, the first time he had seen her as she stood in the corridor, so small in comparison to the tall, wooden hallways. He wanted to tell her how he felt, how he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since she had first spoken in that meeting. How he had been unable to eat when she disappeared, how scared he had been when he had seen her outside of his house, how angry he was at anyone who treated her anything less than perfectly. He wanted her to know that he couldn't give a toss how his parents felt, didn't care whose daughter she was; in fact, she could have been the daughter of Adolf Hitler and he wouldn't love her any less. Because he did love her, of that he was quite sure. Perhaps it was a young love, one that hadn't matured into that deep, ever-lasting kind of love, but he still thought he loved her. What he was unsure of was whether she felt the same.

They continued to walk in silence until they got to the Musain and retrieved Eponine's bags. Then they stood in that little room, both completely unsure of what to do.

"So…" Eponine said quietly.

"Do you want a lift to Cosette's?" Enjolras asked.

Eponine quickly nodded. "Thanks that would be great." They paused and looked at each other.

"We should probably clean ourselves up." Enjolras said and Eponine was suddenly aware of how terrible she probably looked. When she had been thrown to the ground her head had started to bleed, as did her hands and now she was a mess. No wonder he hadn't wanted to kiss her again.

"Probably." She replied.

To be fair to her, Enjolras was sure he looked just as terrible. His nose was throbbing and he was pretty sure his lip had been cut in the fight. His knuckles were also bloodied although whose blood it was he didn't know.

Unsure of what to say they both trailed into different bathrooms. As Eponine wiped the blood off of her face she wondered if this was what it would be like between them from now on. She wasn't sure why it had become so weird, she guessed they were both processing what had happened. Her head was certainly swirling with questions: did she want it to happen again? She thought she did. It was nice, amazing really and completely unexpected. She hadn't even considered the idea that she had feelings for Enjolras before but now it was suddenly clear to her. They were so similar and it was so easy to be around him. Well, it had been easy to be around him. What was her next move? Should they date? Did he want to date her? Perhaps he had kissed her because he had felt sorry for her, or perhaps he had gotten swept up in the moment? They needed to talk, but perhaps not today. So much had happened in such little time that they stood the chance of messing it all up but analysing it too quickly.

As he waited for Eponine to come out of the toilet Enjolras reached the same conclusion. He would wait, he didn't want to pressure her into anything. After all, she had shown no real sign of having any feelings for him in the past. Perhaps she had been caught up in the relief of escaping, and she had directed that relief onto him. In fact, it could be hypothesised that she might have kissed anyone who had been there with her. He would wait and see if she showed any sign of liking him back before he made his next move. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.

She walked out of the bathroom and they smiled at each other before getting into his car. They drove to Cosette's house hyper aware of the other's every move. Worried that any second the bubble would burst and they'd be separated again.

Cosette was the perfect host and once she had Eponine's bags taken into her new room she quickly fussed about her, patching up her cuts and bruises without asking a single question. Seeing her blonde hair flutter as she pulled plasters from her cupboards transported Eponine into her past when Cosette would be doing the same thing to a young Eponine who hadn't yet been able to tell her friend where the bruises were truly coming from.

Marius and Enjolras stood in the corner, talking quietly about nothing much, Enjolras having quickly told Marius not to ask what had happened. Enjolras wanted Eponine to be the first to tell of their encounter with her delightful ex, he didn't want to reveal anything she wanted to keep hidden.

Eponine remained silent right up until the point where Marius and Enjolras had finally left. They'd helped move Eponine's clothes and belongings into her room and had hung around a little until Cosette made the completely unsubtle move of telling them to get lost. "We need some proper girl's time on our first night as roomies." She had told them before quickly shutting the door and turning to Eponine.

"What happened?" She asked. Eponine was almost taken aback by the question. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine." She added. "But I don't know if I'll be able to survive another year of magically appearing bruises."

Eponine sighed, guilt suddenly flooding her from the years of keeping secrets from her friend. "Montparnasse saw me." She said. Cosette gasped, her mouth forming a perfect 'o' shape.

"Are you okay?" She asked and sighed when Eponine nodded. "Stupid question Cosette," She said to herself. "You're here so of course you're okay! But what happened?"

"He saw me across the street," She explained. "And grabbed a hold of me saying he was going to take me home." Cosette was the perfect audience, gasping and nodding in all of the right places. "I managed to slam my hand into his nose but he didn't let me go and then," She took a breath. "Enjolras comes flying in and he and Montparnasse had a huge fight and crowds gathered and the police came but we got away and ran into an alleyway and…." She stopped abruptly suddenly realising the point in the story she had come up to.

"And?" Cosette prompted. "What happened?"

Eponine debated whether or not to tell her. She could tell Marius and then all of the boys would know and things would get messy and uncomfortable for everyone. But then… if she was going to live with Cosette, should she start by lying to her? And Eponine wasn't sure if she even wanted to lie to her. Wasn't the point of having girl-friends talking to them about boy trouble? It would be nice to get a second opinion…

"Oh my god Eponine you cannot leave me hanging!" Cosette said and Eponine laughed.

"We kissed." She admitted. Cosette blinked at her.

"You and Parnasse?" She asked. As Eponine shook her head realisation suddenly dawned on Cosette. She let out a shriek. "Oh my god!" she yelled and took Eponine's hands in hers. "You kissed Enjolras?" She asked.

Eponine nodded, smiling at her friend's reaction. Cosette shrieked again. "You can't tell Marius!" Eponine said and Cosette suddenly became very serious.

"I promise." She said. "I know how terrible Marius is with secrets and this is too big of a deal for him to muck up!" Her voice became that terribly high pitch again. "I can't believe it!" she yelled. "Finally!"

"Finally?" Eponine said. "Why finally? I didn't even know I liked him?"

"Well it's obvious to anyone with half a brain that you two liked each other!" Cosette told an open-mouthed Eponine. "You're always together, practically joined at the hip! And the way he looks at you, oh!" She sighed. "It's like you're his favourite food!"

"Really?" Eponine said, laughing at the image. "Are you sure? He's never acted like he likes me?" She paused and groaned. "Oh my god I sound like a teenager!"

"You are a teenager!" Cosette reminded her and laughed. "I can't believe you've been so blind! He went almost out of his mind when you left 'Ponine, we were all worried he'd never sleep again! And then when you came back, it was like he came alive again." Eponine's heart swelled at the thought of someone actually missing her. "He cares for you, it's totally obvious."

"Really?" Eponine asked and the hopeful tone to her voice made Cosette laugh and hug her clueless friend.

Enjolras had barely paid attention the whole time he was driving home. Had it really only been a couple of hours since he had left his home? A monumental shift had occurred and as he walked back into his home he was almost shocked by the fact that nothing had changed. He had half expected cob-webs and fifty years to have passed. He shook his head and walked into the kitchen to get himself a drink. His head was still filled with her. Everything in him ached to kiss her again. He took a sip and looked out into the garden.

"So, how was your little trip into town?" His mother asked. She had obviously crept into the room behind him. He turned to look at her now. Despite their disagreements, he did love his parents. They had cared for and provided for him beyond anything a child could wish for. Although he had a Nanny to help, his parents had always been present and it was only when he turned 14 that things started to change. He became more aware of the world, of how his father's business worked, of how he didn't agree with that. A part of him sometimes wished that he hadn't felt that way. His life would have been much easier if he was able to follow the path that had been laid out for him.

"It was fine thank you." He replied. "How was your trip?"

"It was lovely, the hotels were impeccable as always." His mother walked over to him as she talked. "Angela Mansbury was there, as tiresome as ever, but that didn't damper the atmosphere too much. And anyway, her daughter's new boob job was the most interesting thing that has happened to that woman all year so… I win." She chuckled and Enjolras couldn't help but smile too.

"I'm glad." He said. They chatted casually for a while, both carefully dancing around the subject of Eponine. The nice atmosphere changed however when Enjolras Snr entered the room.

"I was just telling Gabriel about the business with the golf club," Mrs Enjolras told her husband, hoping that she would be able to avoid the inevitable conflict. "Can you remember if it was Mark or his wife that was trying to fix the game?" She asked.

"It was Mark of course," Enjolras Snr replied smiling at his wife. "That bastard would cheat a baby out of a sweet if he could." She laughed but inwardly groaned when her son did not join in.

A silence swept over the room and Enjolras regretted it. He wished he could put aside their argument and have a nice few hours with his father. But as he looked into the eyes that were so familiar to him all he felt was a seething anger.

"If I may be excused," Enjolras began, "I have some school work that needs to be done." He started to walk towards the door but just before he could leave the room he heard his father's voice.

"If it turns out you're dating that girl." Enjolras stiffened. "You can kiss your inheritance goodbye."

Cosette sat on her bed, her legs either side of Eponine who was sat on the floor below her. Despite Eponine's protests Cosette had demanded that she be allowed to French Plait Eponine's hair. "It's what you do at a sleepover!" She insisted and Eponine rolled her eyes.

"We can double date!" Cosette said suddenly and Eponine frowned in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

Cosette just giggled and said, "Me, you, Enjolras and Marius!" She told her. "We can double date!"

"What?" Eponine repeated, the idea having caught her off guard. She wasn't even sure if Enjolras wanted to see her again, let alone if he wanted to go on a double date! "We aren't even dating!" Eponine told her.

"Oh come on!" Cosette said, scoffing. "You kissed! You're dating." Eponine shook her head.

"I don't think it's going to be that simple." Eponine said realising the truth in her words as she said them.

"Why not?" Cosette asked. "Not everything has to be a drama."

"True," Eponine conceded, "Maybe in your life it doesn't but this is me!" She said. "My father's a criminal and he and my equally awful ex-boyfriend are trying to find me after I ran away from them! And even if we took those two out of the equation Enjolras' family hate me and I don't even know if he likes me!"

It was Cosette's turn to roll her eyes. "We talked about this." She said. "He does like you, believe me, I have such a good sense for these kinds of things."

Eponine sighed. She really wanted things to be as simple as Cosette said they were. But in her life, things just tended to get messy. Should she really bring Enjolras into all of that?

"You need to stop doubting yourself." Cosette said as she tied the ends of Eponine's plait. "If you over-think it too much you'll talk yourself out of this."

"But what if I should talk myself out of it?" Eponine said, feeling a little stupid for voicing this concern. "What if my life is too crazy to let someone else into it?"

"Don't talk yourself out of happiness just because you're scared of letting someone in."

"When did you get to be so wise, huh?" Eponine said and Cosette laughed and flipped her hair.

"I didn't asked to be blessed with the gift of wisdom," She told her friend who laughed. "It just happened."

The rest of the evening was spent in blissful girlishness. They watched sappy rom-coms and ordered Chinese food before Cosette filled Eponine on the gossip of all the people she used to go to school with.

"No way!" Eponine yelled.

"Yes!" Cosette replied. "Pregnant within two months of seeing each other and because she was only seventeen, they got married!"

"I do not believe you." Eponine said laughing at how animated Cosette could be when she talked. She missed her, she hadn't realised she had but she did. It was nice having a female friend again, there was just a bond that Eponine didn't have with the guys. They understood each other on a deeper level due to the foundation of friendship they had.

Once Eponine had seen the pictures of Ashely Jenkins and Matt Howard getting married nine months pregnant Cosette then demanded that they watch one more film before bed. As she went to grab the pop-corn Eponine heard her phone ringing from the bedroom.

She walked into her new room which, although smaller than the one at Enjolras', was still nice. It had pale blue walls and a few flowers painted in the corner by Cosette when she had been growing up. Eponine sat on the small bed as she answered the phone. Her heart fluttered as she said, "Hey."

"Hi." Enjolras said on the other side.

"What's up?" She said, cursing herself that she couldn't think of anything better to say.

"I just…" He trailed off. She imagined him running a hand through his hair or even pacing the floor as he wondered what to say. "I just wanted to check if you were okay?"

"I'm good, Cosette's taking good care of me." She paused, he didn't sound too happy. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Enjolras said quickly. "Just… family stuff."

Eponine nodded and looked out of the window. She wondered how far away Cosette's house was from his. "Anything I can help with?" She asked hopefully.

"No it's fine." He said. "I'm glad we kissed." He said suddenly and she was shocked by how quickly he changed the conversation. "I'm not sure how you're feeling about it but I just wanted to say I'm glad we did because… well because I like you and I wanted to kiss you and..." He trailed off again. "Yeah." He finished a little lamely.

Eponine hardly cared, she was smiling so hard it hurt and her heart beat uncomfortably against her chest. "I'm glad too." She said quietly. If she could have seen him she would have blushed at how he celebrated at those words. "Because I also like you."

It was so childish. Saying embarrassed 'I like yous' to each other while smiling like idiots. Enjolras even let out a small laugh and Eponine chuckled too. She was surprised at how happy she had been when he'd told her. And he couldn't believe that she said it back. Both of them needed each other more than the other knew.

"Well," Eponine said slowly. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She said.

"Yeah." He replied. "I'll see you then." They said their goodbyes and Eponine hung up the phone first. Alone in her room she smiled to herself, the phone in her hand clutched against her chest. Enjolras lay back in his bed and smiled up at the ceiling. He didn't think he'd ever been happier.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

She could believe how nervous she was. To see him again. What would happen? Would he try to kiss her? Would she try to kiss him? Thoughts swirled around her head as she got ready for school. Cosette looked knowingly at her when Eponine barely touched her food. The two girls walked to the bus stop together and waited in the cold as Eponine tried to focus on anything other than what was waiting for her at school.

"Are you working tonight?" Eponine asked Cosette.

"Yeah." She said and Eponine nodded. During those black weeks she hadn't turned up to work and so she assumed that she didn't have a job to go back to. She should find another one though, she thought, so she could pay some rent to Cosette and her Father. It was one thing living for free at Enjolras' who didn't need and would refuse the money. But Cosette lived an ordinary life and so would probably appreciate the extra help. She would start her job search that evening. Unless Enjolras wanted to do something. Damn, her mind had brought her back to him again.

Cosette chatted idly to her as they sat on the bus but once Cosette's stop came up, Eponine had nothing to distract her. The road she was about to walk down was so untouched that she had no idea what to expect. What did life, post-kiss, look like? She didn't know. But she was about to find out.

Enjolras was just as anxious. He stood outside of the building with Grantaire and wondered what he would do when he saw her. At this rate it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch of imagination to believe he may pass out. His head felt weirdly light and although he knew he was excited to see her, he didn't know how this would go. He'd never done this before. He'd never cared before. Now he fiddled with his jumper hoping that the green went with the cream shirt he wore underneath.

Grantaire stared bemused at his friend as he shuffled, seemingly unable to remain still. Something had happened, Grantaire was sure. What he wasn't sure of was what. Had they argued? Had something happened? Well there was no doubt that Enjolras' behaviour was down to anything other than Eponine. She was the only one to have any effect on the great stone man.

And then there she was, walking up the street to the school. She looked lovely, as always. Her hair was flowing behind her, a little windswept but quite lovely even still. Grantaire bit the side of his mouth to stop himself from laughing when Enjolras suddenly stood to attention as she approached them.

"Hi." She said and Grantaire was surprised to notice that she seemed just as jittery. It was something big then, Grantaire thought.

"Hey." Enjolras said, beaming giddily at her.

"Hello to you too." Grantaire said and Eponine suddenly noticed that he was here. "Well, let's not stand here all morning." He said before he walked into the school. The two idiots followed behind him and he tried not to stare as they sat next to each other in form, the same stupid smile plastered onto their faces. Shit, thought Grantaire the penny finally dropping, it finally happened then. In a few weeks they'd be dating and he'd be the third wheel-the Eponine to their Marius and Cosette if you will. He sighed, deciding that he would happily take the role and be the best third-wheel there was. His feelings aside, they both deserved to be happy and he would do nothing to get in the way of that.

After the initial weirdness things had fallen back into place quite quickly. Enjolras and Eponine had first lesson together and so were able to get all of the blushing out of their system by the time break rolled around. Therefore none of the other boys noticed any real difference between them. But the way that they sat now, their legs uncommonly close together and the way that he would murmur something that only she could hear. It was sickeningly sweet.

Eponine was brimming with happiness. "I think we should talk later." Enjolras had said to her, leaning in so that only she could hear. The way he had said talk made her shiver a little and she nodded.

"I think I would like to talk again." She whispered back and he laughed. Neither of them quite knew what was acceptable yet and so their hands met only briefly every so often as they walked down the corridor. He'd made some lame excuse about his class being moved so he could walk her to history and she found it adorable that he did. Suddenly, just as she was making her way to the lunch hall she had felt a hand on her arm and before she knew it she had been dragged outside and was suddenly kissing Enjolras. She felt his hands in her hair and the cold concrete on her back. He delighted in the little gasp she had given when he'd held her and now enjoyed how she felt pressed against him. He hadn't planned on this, not wanting to seem too desperate, but then he had seen her again and couldn't quite help himself. Especially after their conversation last night.

As he kissed down the line of her neck she gasped again and said "Gabe, we should go to lunch." Enjolras just made a dismissive sound and he pulled her into a kiss again. She let herself enjoy the sensation a moment longer before pulling away and saying, "I'm hungry." He just shook his head again and captured her lips in his. Suddenly as she felt his hands tighten on her waist she couldn't quite think of anything else. Her head spun and she laughed as he refused to let her speak again. "You know I'm right." She mumbled as she looked at him. His lips were the tiniest bit swollen and his hair was a mess. He looked ridiculous and all she wanted to do was stay like this forever. But the boys would get worried soon and look for her so she had to go.

He knew she was right. And so he sighed, resting his forehead on hers before kissing her slowly, one last time. She sighed softly and he felt the flames in his stomach rise up again. "Fine." He conceded and he watched her smile and walk back into the school building. In her absence he was suddenly cold and so only waited a few moments before following her.

If they thought they were fooling everyone, they were idiots, Grantaire thought as he watched them sit down at the lunch table. The group often ate lunch together and would come in dribs and drabs so it wasn't too strange for the two of them to walk in together. What was strange was how Enjolras' hair was sticking out in crazy directions and his shirt was untucked from under his jumper. What was strange was how breathless and overly happy Eponine was. Combeferre looked over to Grantaire and raised an eyebrow in question. Grantaire just smiled and shrugged. No one said anything. Everyone wanted to. Grantaire, if he was being honest with himself, just wanted to shake the pair of them and scream, "We all know!" but for now he was content watching the madness unfold.

After lunch, as they walked to their last lesson, Joly was able to catch up to Grantaire. "So can you shed any light on what's happening with our fearless leader and our stowaway?"

Grantaire just shrugged, something he had done a lot that day. "Who knows? It's clear that they're dating or… something but for some reason they're not telling us."

"But I hate this!" Joly complained. "There's a weirdness now when we're together. We've never had an elephant in the room before."

"I know." Grantaire said as they walked into the classroom. "I'm just as frustrated as you but you know Enj, he's very private and they probably doesn't want to broadcast it across the whole school." Joly opened his mouth as if to complain again but Grantaire stopped him. "Look, no one wants more attention drawn to Ep at the moment, she's still hiding from her family for god's sake! We can't expect them to share absolutely everything with the group."

Combeferre had walked in and sat down at the seat across from Grantaire just as he was finishing his reasoning. "We talking about Eponine and Enjolras?" Joly nodded and Grantaire groaned inwardly. He had decided this morning that he didn't like talking about this. It made his stomach curl, he didn't know if it was the notion that the boys were now interested in gossip or whether it was something else but he didn't like it. "Do you think they got together when she was staying at his?"

"Ooh," Joly said. "I hadn't thought of that! Maybe?"

"But then this lunch they'd obviously been off… canoodling," Grantaire couldn't help but laugh at Combeferre's polite choice of words. "So why hasn't something like that happened before?"

This then led to a long discussion where the two boys tried to pin down the exact timeline of their friend's relationship and Grantaire tried his best to drown them out and concentrate on his work. He didn't need this right now.

He didn't like there being secrets between him and Enjolras.

And that was it. That had to be why he was feeling so crappy. Before, Enjolras had been able to come to him with everything. When Enjolras' maternal grandfather had died, Grantaire had been there for him. He used to be the confidante that Enjolras turned to and now… now it seemed Enjolras wasn't even telling him the good stuff.

Grantaire spent the rest of the lesson fixating on this idea. He wondered whether he wouldn't be needed anymore, whether Eponine would fill the role that he used to play in Enjolras' life. It may have been a little selfish of him, but Grantaire liked to think that he was irreplaceable, at least where Enjolras was concerned. Because that's what Enjolras was to him. An incomparable force in his life that if removed, well, Grantaire didn't want to think what that would do to him.

Eponine wasn't sure if she had ever been this happy. Enjolras had texted her to meet him out the front and when she did he was sat in his car smiling up at her. Now they were driving around town, music blaring and roof down. She was currently laughing at Enjolras' painful attempts to sing along with the songs on the radio and as she watched his face screw up with the effort of belting out a Whitney classic, she couldn't believe that she was seeing this. She'd never thought that Enjolras could have a goofy side. He had always seemed so serious and intense. Of course, that intensity was still there, especially when he looked at her in that way that made her toes curl but she also enjoyed seeing this different side to him. He seemed lighter.

Eventually they stopped driving and had dinner at a small chain-restaurant before he dropped her back at Cosette's. After she'd stepped out of the car she leant back into the window. "You know, that was technically our first date." She told him.

His eyebrows shot up and he nodded. "Yeah I guess it was." He beamed at her. "Was it alright?"

She laughed and tucked some hair behind her ear as she leant over to give him a peck on the cheek. "It'll do." He laughed and she loved how easily she could make him do that. "See you later." She said before straightening up so he could drive away. She hadn't known what to expect, going into this. He knew everything about her, all the gritty details and unpleasant truths he already knew and yet he accepted her. In a way it was scary, how could this work? She'd never been in a relationship where she didn't have to hide anything. Would he get bored of her? After all, there was nothing left for him to discover. She walked to the front door knowing that she shouldn't worry. That evening had been wonderful, he could make her laugh one second and then get her riled up about something or other in the other second. It had been perfect, she shouldn't dwell on her doubts. After all, she had experienced enough drama to last her a lifetime. Having a simple, easy, honest relationship was something she deserved.

Enjolras was also feeling content. Relationships weren't something he had ever really thought about but this seemed to be everything he could have wanted. She challenged him on his views, had opinions of her own and was able to make him laugh and feel care-free for a little while. And he couldn't believe that she felt the same way. It had felt like he was in a dream. Surely in reality, someone like Eponine would never have been content to settle for someone like him? But amazingly, she had.

When he got back to his house, his father was waiting for him. "So you're now parading that girl around are you?" He asked and Enjolras sighed. He had noticed a familiar face in the restaurant but had been naïve enough to think that the son of one of his father's assistants wouldn't have cared about what Enjolras did on a Monday night. But apparently his social life was fascinating information that couldn't be sat upon.

"I was hardly parading her Dad, we just went to dinner." Enjolras explained, already tired of this conversation. His father had always been an imposing man. 6 foot 3 with broad shoulders and nicely coiffed hair. He was undoubtedly impressive. When Enjolras had been a kid, he had been so terrified of his father. The idea of him being disappointed made Enjolras fear low grades or bad reports. Whenever he'd done anything wrong he would immediately throw himself at his father's feet, snivelling. But now Enjolras saw him for what he really was. Just a man. An ordinary man who was now slightly balding.

His father didn't let this stop him though. He stood at his full height and tried his best to make his son feel two foot tall. "I thought we'd discussed this already Gabriel," he began. "Your family does not want you engaging with this family. It is not only reckless for your future, but it could be damaging for our business." Enjolras scoffed, wanting to interject but he was not given that liberty. "What will clients think if we are seen to be related in any way to that family?"

"Well considering a great number of your clients are just as criminally-inclined I wouldn't have thought they'd care." Enjolras retorted.

Enjolras Snr took a step closer to his son. "If you continue to date that girl, your inheritance is gone." And with that he turned on his heel and left. Enjolras could feel his heart racing. He couldn't stand the idea that his father was trying to dictate another part of his life. It was bad enough having his career forced upon him, now he wasn't even allowed to choose who to date? It was ridiculous. And Enjolras wouldn't let him. His father would not mess with the best thing in his life. A decision was made. He ran upstairs to the office and immediately flicked on the computer. He would provide for himself, make it clear to his father that he didn't need the family's money. If he could do this, he would lose those chains forever.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

His first thought was that the back office was incredibly small. His second thought was of how much he hated the smell of grease. But he would have to get used to it, he supposed. There was a small desk in the corner and he was sat in the broken, weirdly stained chair that sat next to it. He looked at the shelves to the side of him and wondered why there needed to be this much paper in a McDonalds. His application had taken a few days to be accepted but when it had an interview was arranged straight away. He'd hurriedly left school without talking to anyone and made it to the restaurant in record time. Once he'd got there he'd been led into this small office where he had been waiting for around seven minutes getting steadily hotter as time went on. The kitchen being right next door to the office meant that Enjolras was regretting the suit.

Suddenly the door flung open to reveal a short, middle aged man with thick glasses that were perched on the end of his rather prominent nose. His eyes flicked over the piece of paper in his hand which Enjolras recognised as being his application and he scratched his bald head as he took a seat behind the desk. Enjolras quickly straightened his spine and waited expectantly while the man in front of him continued to read the paper in front of him.

"So you're a straight A student it says here." The man said in a higher tone than Enjolras had expected.

"Uh… yes." Enjolras answered, unsure of whether the man had in fact, asked a question. The man finally looked up at him and blinked twice before resuming his original position.

"And you go to the Hugo School up the road?" Again Enjolras gave a one word reply. "Isn't that the really posh place?" The guy asked and Enjolras just gave a polite nod. It was then that the man leant back in his chair, placed the paper on the table and gave Enjolras his full attention. "So why do you want to work at McDonalds?"

Enjolras took a moment, not having thought about this question before. "Well, I am passionate about hard work," he began, "And want to get experience working within a successful and well-known company."

"So you want to be a business man then?" The man asked.

"Well…" Enjolras briefly considered the truth but then decided against it. "Well yes actually. I'm very interested in large chains and would really value the learning opportunities this job provides. An insight into how business actually work day to day."

The man nodded slowly. "Right." Enjolras watched as the man tapped the table. "So what days would you be available to work?"

It took Enjolras a second to process the question. He had expected a far more rigorous interview process. "Well I could work Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school times and also Sunday mornings."

The man nodded and Enjolras was unsure whether he was supposed to elaborate. He stuck to silence. He was glad he did when the man suddenly stood up and held a hand out to Enjolras. "Okay then, you're hired!" Enjolras took his hand, smiling. "We'll give you a training date and then you'll be put on the rota next week."

"Thank you!" Was all Enjolras said before the man walked out of the office again. Enjolras took a second to wonder if that had really all happened before walking through the kitchens again into the entrance. He was given a date and a number to call if he had any questions but then he was gone. The whole thing had taken less than half an hour.

He wasn't sure why he hadn't told her. They'd spent a couple of hours together just hanging out at Cosette's house and yet he hadn't mentioned it. There had been ample opportunity to do so, but at the last second he'd decided against it. He didn't think he was ashamed of it, in fact, when he had left the office he had felt quite exhilarated. He was finally on the road to independence, something that he had always dreamed about. And he knew Eponine worked, it wasn't as if she was anyone else from their school who might find it strange for him to go against his family. But yet, he hadn't told her.

He reasoned that maybe he didn't tell her because then she'd know that his father didn't approve of them together, that he was giving up his inheritance to be with her. Maybe that would be too much to bring up right now, especially when everything was so good and new in their relationship. He didn't want to put pressure on anything and if he told her what had happened she might feel as if she had to stay with him. Because being with her had somehow become a quasi-sacrifice. Of course, he didn't see it that way, he was never going to become a partner in his father's firm so he had always expected having to strike out on his own eventually. But still. He knew it didn't feel right to keep this from her.

The next day was Enjolras' induction and so he told himself that he would tell her after he actually secured the job properly. He would leave McDonalds and go to her house and tell her. And that was him plan, the whole time he was being showed how to work the tills, how to group orders, how to fire up the grill and how to properly shovel fries into cardboard, he was thinking about how he would tell her.

But then Grantaire showed up. Enjolras was working at the tills, with his manager watching him from behind when Grantaire walked in through the doors. They both stopped dead. Enjolras didn't know what to do, he couldn't hide. He would have to ride this awkward situation out. Grantaire being Grantaire of course made things worse by walking straight up to Enjolras' till.

"Hey buddy." He said and Enjolras plastered on a fake smile as he took his friend's order. Grantaire was almost 100% certain that he was dreaming. There was no way that Enjolras could be standing there in McDonalds uniform serving his happy meal. It just wasn't how things worked. Enjolras working in a McDonalds was like the Queen at a anti-establishment rally. It just didn't happen. So the delirious smile that was making Enjolras so annoyed was Grantaire's way of coping with this strange out of body experience.

He almost lost it when Enjolras said, "Would you like to super-size sir?"

So that's why Enjolras' plan had to change. He walked out of the restaurant only to find Grantaire sat on the hood of his car. His disbelief had mangled over the half an hour wait into an annoyance. As Enjolras walked over, the last thing he expected to hear was, "What the fuck is this?" It actually made his stop in his tracks. He had been expecting some kind of quip about how cute he looked in his cap but this was totally unexpected.

Grantaire slid off the car. "Well?" He said. "Are you going to actually tell me what's going on?"

Enjolras just replied, "I'm working here now."

Grantaire threw his hands to the sky and sighed, "Oh well of course! That explains everything! I'm so glad you laid that out for me so well!"

"What is there to explain?" Enjolras argued.

"How the fuck does Enjolras start working at McDonalds? And why doesn't his best friend no about it?" Grantaire was still in shock. He was stood in a McDonalds car-park arguing with Enjolras who was dressed in the uniform. It was almost funny. Expect he was struggling to find the humour. "Where you ever going to tell me?"

"Of course I was." Enjolras said.

"Bullshit." Grantaire spat. "I don't believe you!"

"What the f…" Enjolras exclaimed. "Why would you think I wouldn't tell you?"

"Well it's not like you've been sharing much recently." Enjolras sighed as Grantaire's voice dropped. "How's things going with Eponine?"

Enjolras ran his hands over his face. "That's different." He said.

"How?" Grantaire asked. "How is it different Enjolras? How is keeping anything from your best friend anything other than fucked up?"

"Because it's not just me!" Enjolras replied still shocked by where this all was coming from. How long had Grantaire been annoyed at him? "I've got to think about her with all of this. I can't just tell something that isn't solely mine to tell."

"Well why aren't you telling anyone?" Grantaire finally asked the question that had been plaguing the whole group for days. "We all know, it's not exactly like you're being at all subtle with all your giggling and gooey eyes and running off together all the time!"

"I don't know!" Enjolras finally admitted. "I don't know why we haven't told you. It's just something we haven't discussed yet it's still early."

Grantaire felt tired. He'd only gone to McDonalds because he hadn't wanted to cook for himself. With his parents gone for another trip he just wanted to crash out at home. "Fine." He said quietly. "I just didn't expect I'd see a day where we kept anything from each other."

Enjolras suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Grantaire's head hung and his shoulders drooped. He'd been so wrapped up in his life that he hadn't realised he was hurting his friend. "I'm sorry." He said walking over to Grantaire who was now sitting on the raised concrete. "I don't want to keep anything from you it's just…"

"You just didn't think." Grantaire finished for him and Enjolras nodded.

"My Dad's threatening to cut me off." Enjolras muttered and Grantaire looked at him. "He's said that if I date Eponine I can 'kiss my inheritance goodbye'."

"Shit." Grantaire muttered. "That's ridiculous."

"I know." Enjolras agreed. "That's why I'm working here so I don't have to rely on him for anything anymore."

"That makes sense."

The boys sat in silence. Grantaire looked at the little box in his hand and almost laughed at how ridiculous this fight was. If he'd had just talked to Enjolras… or if Enjolras had just talked to him…

"I should have told you." Enjolras admitted and Grantaire nodded. "Are we okay?" They were looking at each other. These boys who had grown up side by side, more like brothers than friends smiled at each other and Grantaire nodded.

"We're always okay." He told Enjolras.

They abandoned Enjolras' car and walked to Grantaire's house where they spent the night playing video games and acting like childish idiots. Grantaire realised that things would change between them and that didn't have to be bad. Enjolras realised that he needed to actively make time for his friendships, he couldn't get too caught up in the new, exciting things that would make him forget what he relied on.

"So what does Eponine think about the job?" Grantaire asked as they were getting ready for bed. Enjolras cringed and Grantaire just sighed and shook his head. "You need to tell her, you idiot." Enjolras nodded but Grantaire wouldn't let go of the topic until Enjolras had pinky-promised to tell her first thing the next day. They each went to sleep content in the fact that they would always have this, this moment, this friendship that would always be there.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Eponine was surprised the next morning when the doorbell rang at eight thirty in the morning.

"Cos," She called up to her friend who was still packing books into her bag, "Did you order something?"

"What?" Cosette replied and Eponine shook her head deciding that it was best if she just answered the door anyway.

As she walked through the hall and saw the shadow standing outside, barely visible through the small window she felt the familiar sense of panic. As if she was walking into the lion's den. Her life had never been truly safe and although she was enjoying staying at Cosette's the fact hadn't changed. She was in danger and the simple task of opening the door to someone was laden with dread because of it.

She audibly let out a breath of relief when she saw Enjolras standing on the porch. "Hi." He said, smiling.

"Hey," she said quickly kissing him. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to take you to school." He replied simply. "Is that okay?"

She turned to look back into the house, Cosette was now coming down the stairs and quickly waved hello at Enjolras. "Cosette Enj is taking me to school, is that okay?" When Cosette replied telling her that it was fine Eponine quickly grabbed her bag and followed Enjolras to his car.

"So what's the cause for this free ride?" She asked, still a little dubious about his intentions.

"I just wanted to." He said again. But then he ran a hand through his hair and said, "And also I just thought I'd tell you that I recently got a job."

Eponine stared at him. "Really?" She asked, feeling as if she should try to spot the hidden cameras. When she found none and Enjolras nodded she said, "Why?"

Enjolras cringed, this was the part he was slightly worried about. "Well…" He stalled, "First of all I wanted one, you know get out of my father's influence and everything…" Again he trailed off.

"But?" Eponine prompted.

"But also it's because I may be cut off… soon… possibly." He looked at her. She was staring blankly at the road ahead of them.

"Why would you be cut off?" She asked. "Has your Dad's firm failed or something?"

"No." Enjolras replied. "I would be cut off because my father doesn't approve of our relationship." He finally admitted. The air felt heavy all of a sudden. "Which of course is ridiculous! Believe I am probably just as angry as you are and I've told my father that he is a bigot and… well, I didn't call him that to his face but I wanted to!" He was rambling, he knew it. He should give her time to process this but he couldn't let the silence continue. "And I don't care anyway! I would have been cut off once I didn't join my father's firm so really it's not even an issue."

"Gabe," Eponine said suddenly and Enjolras' rambling grounded to a halt. "Just let me… think." He nodded and quickly shut up. The silence was broken up only by the sounds of the other cars whizzing past in the rush hour traffic. "Are you sure it's worth it?" She finally said.

"What?"

"Are you sure you want to give up your inheritance for me?" She asked, her voice a little quieter than usual. "Because personally I'm not sure if it's worth it I mean," She was looking into her hands. Enjolras probably should have been paying more attention to the road but he didn't want to take his eyes off of her. "This is your livelihood, your family."

Enjolras sighed. "Really the inheritance was my father's way to control me." Enjolras told her. "He would hold it over my head to get me to do what he wants. Now he can't control me anymore."

"I'm just… worried you'll regret this down the line." She admitted. "What if in ten years you look back and think 'Why the fuck did I throw everything away for a girl'?"

"I wouldn't think that." He told her.

"But what if you do?" She asked.

They were getting closer to the school and Enjolras took the distraction to think for a moment. "I have been expected to be my father ever since I was born. And ever since I could think for myself I haven't wanted to be. I want to help people. I'm not going to join my father's firm. That's just not what I want to do." He explained. "I know that I would rather be poor and be helping people than be rich and immoral."

They pulled into the car park but neither of them moved to leave the car. Enjolras turned to Eponine but her gaze was still locked into her palm. He took her hand and her eyes moved to his.

"I don't want this to put any pressure on you. If we break up tomorrow then so be it. I won't regret this because it's something I've been thinking about for years." She nodded a little. "I hope we won't break up." He admitted and she laughed a little. "I want to be with you," He told her. "And my father's stubborn but eventually he'll come around to the idea."

"It's just a big deal for us only being together for such a short time." She said and he laughed.

"I know." He brought her hand to his lips. "But for us it was never going to be easy."

"True." She said smiling now. Enjolras hoped that he'd been able to smooth this over. "So does this mean no sleepovers at the Enjolras house?"

"Well considering what happened last time…" He trailed off and she laughed before pulling him into a sweet kiss.

If truth be told she couldn't quite believe it. That someone would give up something that seemed so important in Eponine's view. It was a big gesture but that somehow felt right. In the relatively short time they'd known each other so much had happened. It seemed fitting that one last piece was thrown in to the air. Now, she hoped, everything would fall into place and they'd be allowed to be happy.

Everything suddenly seemed back to normal. Well, back to a new normal. A normal in which it was common to see Eponine and Enjolras hand in hand, smiling and making gooey eyes at each other. But the boys soon got used to it.

"To the girl who was able to reduce the stone man to rubble!" Bahorel had toasted at the first proper meeting since Eponine's disappearance. The boys had cheered and Enjolras had blushed the appropriate amount.

They had decided to meet at Grantaire house. It was a perfect relocation, there was more food, better drinks and a much cleaner floor. As his parents often travelled they'd doubt they'd be disturbed and it was a lot safer than the Musain. This unspoken fact lay between them and Eponine felt the familiar anxiety that plagued her, making her look quickly over her should far too often.

"So," Enjolras said once everyone had sat down. "Our first order of business is deciding our new mission." He began. "Now two options have been put forward. The first, invest more time in bettering the social issues that are evident within our local community. The second, use our time campaigning local and wider government about the issues within our education system." There was a little bit of murmuring between the group and Enjolras waited for it to die down. He'd missed this. "The floor is open."

Eponine quickly stood up. "I am very much in favour of continuing our efforts within the local community," She began. "And I feel that our work would be more effective and better received if we focused on the social issues such as homelessness, and the growing drinking and drug problem within youth." She took the time to look at all of the people sat around her. "As you remember, the support and help we gave to the local homeless centre created actual good, we were able to positively affect those people's lives. I have seen the benefits of the centre and I know that the owners struggle with volunteers and funds. We can campaign to local government in the hopes that they will provide the centre with more funding and we can also volunteer our time."

Eponine sat down quietly and watched as Joly stood. "I disagree." There was a rumble of interest from the group and Eponine smiled as Grantaire raised an eyebrow at her. "I think that although the social issues are important, we have more experience with the education system. Therefore we are more qualified to comment on it and therefore will be taken more seriously." Eponine watched as Enjolras nodded. "I think if we petitioned the government on social issues they will be able to bat us away with the comment that we don't know what we're talking about. That we're just teens with big ideas."

"Interesting point." Enjolras said and Joly smiled. "Eponine, do you want to rebuttal?"

"Yes." She said and that earned a laugh. "I just think that the Education system is too big for us. We can petition and protest all we like but will we actually make any change? Teachers and people within the school system strike every year and yet they make almost no difference. Can we really expect that a group of teenagers will have more power than full unions?" There was a murmur of agreement. "If we focused our efforts on short-term, achievable goals we will create an actual difference."

"But what of Joly's point?" Enjolras asked her. "That our knowledge would be questioned?"

"That's why we need to volunteer and actually work at the shelter." She replied coolly. "So that we can state we have first-hand experience."

"Joly-rebuttal?"

The debate was a good one. It went on for a couple of hours. Grantaire, Combeferre and Marius took Eponine's side; Bahorel and Joly fought their corner. Everyone looked to Enjolras.

"I see the value of both points." He said. No one was sure which way he would go. "But in order to be fully democratic I will side with the majority." Eponine whooped. "We will focus on social issues within our local community."

Joly protested, "This is a clear example of favouritism!" he yelled. "I bet you'd have taken my side if I was sleeping with you!"

"If I were sleeping with you Joly be sure to never listen to a word I say because I would have clearly gone mad."

"Screw you!" He said finally before walking out in a huff.

"He'll be okay." Bahorel said. "Just a wounded ego." He trailed after Joly who was kicking anything in sight.

Around four weeks after she moved in with Cosette, Eponine was sat opposite Enjolras as they enjoyed their classic Friday Date Night. Due to his now heavy schedule as a newly appointed Assistant Manager (a rising through the ranks that was remarkable but not totally unexpected as it was Enjolras after all) and Eponine's equally limited time Enjolras decided that creating a designated date night was necessary. On this particular date night it was Eponine's turn to organise the night's activities and so Enjolras had been taken to the cinema to watch some incredibly sappy love story that Eponine loved and Enjolras tolerated because it had a vague message about true love. Not that he would admit it, but at this moment that kind of ideal was something he liked to indulge in.

Now they were sat in an Indian restaurant and Eponine was laughing at Enjolras' incredibly low tolerance for heat.

"You are such a wuss!" She cried as he gulped the water in front of him.

"I'm not a wuss!" He protested, sweat dripping from his brow. "It's just this is ridiculously hot and the fact that your mouth is still intact makes me think that you are a robot."

She watched as he tried to cool himself down, half a curry still in front of him. It had been an amazing month together, she hadn't expected it to be so easy. The only bump in the road had been the problem with his parents but it's not like she didn't come with her own baggage. They'd had a few small arguments especially when they'd spent a full two days together. That second night when he'd stayed over at Cosette's she had snapped and told him that he had to leave or she'd be forced to strangle him. Over the last few weeks they'd endured the millions of sex jokes thrown at them by the boys after Cosette had complained to Marius. She couldn't quite believe that he was actually still with her. And he seemed to genuinely enjoy the time they spent together. At this moment he was calling the waiter over for some more water and Eponine couldn't help but smile as she examined how his hair had curled a little more than usual with the heat of the restaurant.

"I love you." She said before she even realised she was saying it.

He stared at her. "What did you say?" His voice was breathy from the spice and she smiled.

"I love you." She told him, confident this time. Because she did.

"'Ponine," he breathed and she suddenly panicked that he didn't feel the same way. "I love you too." He said just as her heart was beginning to wither.

"You do?" She said. He just nodded and quickly moved around the table to kiss her.

As they kissed she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She quickly took it out and saw Cosette was calling.

"Take it." Enjolras encouraged.

She nodded, kissed him again quickly and put the phone to her ear. "Hiya!" She said.

"Ponine." Cosette said and Eponine's demeanour changed instantly at the tone of her friend's voice.

"What's happened?" Asked Eponine.

"They're here." She told her. "Your father and a few others, they're sat outside the house in their car."

Eponine's heart thudded to the floor. Enjolras quickly sat up, "What's happened?" He asked.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Dad's going to call the police if they don't leave in five minutes." Cosette said. "Ep, I think this means they know where you are."

Eponine nodded slowly. She could practically see it. That beat up old Ford sitting on the drive, her father at the wheel. She wondered whether he still had a beard. She couldn't imagine him being clean shaven. In her head he was hairy, dirty and foul. And he was ruining that lovely sanctuary. "I'm so sorry Cosette." She whispered, feeling the lump in her throat bob.

"Don't be stupid." Cosette said firmly. "They're not going to come in."

"But…" Eponine began but Cosette cut her off.

"Dad's ringing the police, he doesn't want to take any chances." Eponine nodded. "So I think that you should probably avoid this house tonight. Do you have anywhere you can stay?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to ask around." She said. Enjolras was looking at her, completely worried by the tears in her eyes. "Thank you, stay safe." She said.

"I love you." Cosette told her before hanging up.

"Eponine, what's happened?" Enjolras asked again.

"They found me again."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

She hadn't really wanted to do this. But she'd been convinced that this was the right thing to do. In her rational mind, she knew that this was right. But there was still a part of her that belonged to that other code of ethics. The room was irritatingly white. A white, cold metal desk sat in the middle and the chair that she was sat on was ridiculously uncomfortable. It had a huge gap at the back which made it difficult to completely relax. A small bulb in the centre of the ceiling was the only light in the whole room and the white tiles seemed almost grey in the shadow.

A man in a brown suit walked in and sat in front of her. Enjolras was sat in the corner behind her and she wished he had been able to sit next to her.

"Good Evening," The man said as he looked at the sheet in front of him. "Epon-i-ne?" He asked.

"Epon-ee-n." She corrected and he nodded.

"So Eponine," He began. "I am told that you have information that you'd like to give us on your father?" Eponine slowly nodded. "Now you don't have to be nervous. If you give us information that leads to his arrest then you will get total amnesty seeing as you were a child for most of your criminal past or in a… bad relationship shall we say?" She nodded again, finding it very difficult to speak. You're not supposed to talk to police. The Detective leant back on his chair. "So, how abouts I ask you question and you see if you can answer them?" Another nod. "Okay, have you ever seen your father break into a house with the intent to steal?"

"Yes." She said hesitantly. She knew she shouldn't care about this. Her father was one of the worst people in the world and deserved whatever came to him. But, she couldn't help but think, I'm just as bad. "I've seen him break into at least twenty houses over the last ten years."

The Detective actually smiled. "And if you could, give us an estimate of the value of an individual burglary?"

"Well TV's, computers and anything of value was stolen so it would be in the thousands." She said.

"We would love something a little more specific." The detective told her and she nodded.

"Around 2 to 4 thousand would be my guess." She told him. "Not including damage to the house."

"Great." The detective said. He was slightly over-weight and had seemingly sculpted his beard to fashion a more prominent jawline. "Now if you end up having to give a statement in court, you will be asked why you would turn on your father. So that is my next question."

Eponine took a shaky breath. She turned to look at Enjolras who simply nodded for her to speak. He wanted her to tell the truth, he was sure this was the right thing to do. She had to believe him. "My father is a terrible person. He is physically and verbally abusive to me and has been since I can remember." She pulled up her sleeves to reveal the mark she had so often tried to hide. The divot in her skin was a strange purple colour that stuck out like a sore thumb against her ordinary pale skin. "I got this when I was eleven. I made a mistake on a job and so he put out a…" She choked a little, hating how vulnerable she felt. The detective remained impassive, she was glad of it. A few deep breaths and a quick comforting touch from Enjolras allowed her to continue. "He put out a cigarette on me." She breathed. The man in front of her furrowed his eyebrows, the only emotion shown so far. "This is in addition to the many bruises I have gotten from him over the years, if you don't mind I'd rather not list them all."

The man put his hand up. "That'll do just fine." He told her. "I doubt any jury will question your intentions after…" He gestured to the scar. "So now comes the real information Miss Thenardier." She wiped her eyes of the tears that had spilled from the moment of truth. She didn't dare look back at Enjolras for fear of how he would look at her. She'd never told anyone that story before. "Tell us how we can find your father."

She then listed all the address she knew, first her own house and then all of his friend's addresses. For good measure she also told them his process, how he had a system to the houses he would target. If anything it may help with future security. The detective seemed happy with the information given and at the end he smiled at her. "We thank you for your bravery." He told her. "I personally having been trying to get your father for years, this will help." Before he left he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

As soon as he left Enjolras was crouched by her side and quickly took her into his arms. She sobbed onto his shoulder, a little for her father, a lot for herself and for the promise that she might be safe soon. "You did it." He whispered into her hair. "They will get him and he will go away for a long time." She nodded but the tears wouldn't stop. After a few minutes a police officer came in to tell them that they needed to go but paused when he saw the two of them. The blonde boy was kissing the side of her head as she wiped away tears. She gave them a moment before walking in.

"Dad," Enjolras said. "She's staying."

Enjolras Snr looked at his son. He had walked in the door a few minutes ago with Eponine behind him, eyes puffy and nose red. His wife had tutted and left the room but Enjolras Snr decided to stay and hear him out.

"She has nowhere to go and just practically handed her father into the police." This earned a raised eyebrow. "This is bigger than our differences Dad." Enjolras said impressed with himself at how reserved he was being.

"You turned in your father?" Enjolras Snr asked.

"Yes." Eponine said, knowing that her appearance made her look crazy but hoping that her attitude would be that of a determined young person. "I know that you associate my name with him and what he has done and I get it," She told him. "I really do. But you should know that I'm not him. You can't put the guilt of what he has done onto my shoulders because that's not fair." Enjolras Snr was rather imposing and he just stared at her with the vague air of amusement. "I know that I probably need to prove myself to you. And I'm willing to do that, but I can't if you don't give me the chance."

Enjolras Snr took a moment to think. Enjolras and Eponine agonised in the silence. Enjolras didn't want Eponine to be anywhere other than by his side. He had to know that she was completely safe and he wouldn't feel that way unless she was with him. And she didn't want to leave him either.

"Fine." Enjolras Snr said. "You can stay until your father's arrest." And with that he left the room, leaving Enjolras in a state of disbelief.

"It worked?" Eponine said laughing a little. Enjolras let out a sigh of relief and quickly picked Eponine up and swung her around in his arms. She laughed and hit him when he wouldn't set her down again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

With everything that had been happening over the past few weeks the run-up to Christmas had completely surpassed Eponine. She had noticed how the town square was somehow brighter, more colourful than before but the Yule-tide joy hadn't quite registered. Now the big day was in a few weeks and she had no idea what her life would look like by then. She'd been staying at Enjolras' house for a week now and she felt that she was beginning to get the hang of it all. She would be so incredibly polite to the Enjolras' even when small remarks were made and would then let it all out to Cosette on the phone that evening. In the night, Enjolras and Eponine would take it in turns to sneak into the other's bed making sure to sneak back next morning. She was entirely convinced that his parents weren't aware but as long as they didn't catch them she felt they were safe.

Sleeping with Enjolras had become so familiar to her she wasn't sure if she'd be able to sleep without him there. As they fell asleep he would wrap his arms around her and bury his head into the crook of her neck. The warmth he gave out, the sense of safety and love gave her the best night's sleep she had ever experienced. And in the mornings, when it was his turn to sneak away, he would press soft kisses against her back and shoulder and whisper that he loved her before leaving. It was bliss. The only thing that dampened the experience was how indebted she was feeling.

"They feed me, provide hot water, a roof, a room!" She was lamenting to Cosette. "What am I supposed to do to repay them?"

Cosette scrunched up her nose and curled her feet underneath her. They were sat in Cosette's room waiting for the boys to pick them up. "I don't know…" She pondered. "Get them some nice jewellery?"

Eponine scoffed. "Oh yeah, because the stuff I can afford will be good enough for them!" Cosette just shrugged again. "You know," Eponine said collapsing onto the bed, finished with her pacing. "You're not being very helpful here."

"I'm sorry." Cosette said although she didn't sound very. "It's a tricky one but you only have a couple of weeks to figure it out."

"Don't remind me." Eponine groaned. "And that's the other thing, what do I get Enj?"

"Just pop on a nice big ribbon and nothing else and be done with it?" Cosette joked and Eponine threw a pillow at her. "I'm sure he'd like that."

"What do you get someone who has everything?" she asked, mostly to herself than Cosette. Because it had to be special, it was their first Christmas together so she couldn't half-arse it. If she was going to be happy with it, it would have to be the best gift he had ever been given.

Before Cosette could offer any real ideas there was a knock on the door. Cosette's Dad opened the door and smiled at the two girls. "How are we doing ladies?" He asked. He was wearing a white shirt and dark jeans, his usual attire. Eponine wasn't sure she'd seen him wear anything else. She wondered if his wardrobe was filled with the same white shirt and jeans twenty times over.

"We're good thank you Mr Valjean." Eponine said smiling brightly at the man.

"Please," He said. "It's Jean. Mr Valjean makes me sound so old."

Cosette had grabbed the girls' coats and now stood by the door. She wrapped her arms around her father's waist. "But you are old." She teased and he laughed.

"Right," He said after giving her a small kiss on the top of her head. "There are two handsome young men ready to take you out."

Cosette and Eponine looked at each other and made their way to the hall where Enjolras and Marius were waiting for them. Enjolras was in a dark red suit that perfectly contrasted his golden hair which was coiffed perfectly. Marius had stepped out of his comfort zone into a green, shimmery suit that Eponine had picked out for him. Like she had thought, the colour had really brought out his eyes and he looked incredibly handsome. "You ready?" He said to them, holding out his arm for Cosette. She was also in green and they made the perfect couple, Eponine thought. She looked at Enjolras and smiled at him. "You look wonderful." He murmured in her ear as they stepped into the car.

It was the first time Eponine was going to Joly's house and she had to say it was probably the prettiest house she had been to yet. The red brick contrasted with the white stone pillars that fronted the house and complimented the white steps that led to the door. They could hear the music before they had even reached the steps and the foursome shared a few apprehensive looks. Joly wasn't exactly known for his self-control and none of them truly knew what they were getting into. After all, a man's 18th birthday is the perfect time to go all out. If Eponine was honest with herself, she was actually very excited. It was her first night out in a while and, although she loved their date nights, it would be nice for her and Enjolras to have a change of scenery.

As they walked into the building they were immediately handed a glass of champagne and a comical accessory. Eponine was given a pair of huge, bright yellow glasses, Cosette received a large necklace which was made of the cheapest plastic and consisted of large balls held together by string. They giggled as Enjolras clipped on his fake earring and Marius his eyepatch. As they walked through the hall they noticed that every guest had some kind of oddity. It was brilliantly ludicrous. They found Grantaire by the stairs, he had a lovely tiara pinned to his curls and Eponine curtsied when she saw him. "Your Highness." Which delighted him.

Once they had found Joly, given him their gifts and got the small pleasantries out of the way Eponine made a move to get Grantaire on his own. Under the guise of getting drinks she took her chance to grill him. "I need help." She began and Grantaire grinned at her.

"Now I don't want to hear the details of your sex life but I have heard that he really likes it when you…"

"Shut up!" She said quickly covering his mouth with her hand. "No, I don't want help with that thanks." He laughed at her obvious embarrassment. "I don't know what to get him for Christmas."

"Oh Ep." He said lovingly. "Enjolras will like anything you get him."

Eponine sighed. "But I want him to love it!" She explained. "I want it to be the best present ever."

Grantaire thought for a while. "I mean, he of course loves writing and talking… the sound of his voice." His eyes lit up. "Get him a Dictaphone!" Eponine rolled her eyes. "No I'm serious, so then he can listen to his speeches. Maybe that will get him to finally stop!"

"I want something that he will like not something that will offend him!"

Grantaire just shrugged, picking up the drink that had just arrived and taking a sip. "Fine. But I'm stealing that great idea."

"You're no help." She told him as they carried the drinks back.

"Well what did you expect?" He asked and she guessed he was right. But it still didn't help with the total lack of any ideas. She would have to mull it over a little more.

The rest of the party was less of a disappointment. In fact it was kind of brilliant. She convinced Enjolras to dance with her and he seemed to enjoy after a few glasses of wine. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time. Cosette and Marius twirled each other round on the dancefloor and the other boys seemed to pick up a few partners over the course of evening. She didn't think she had laughed so hard for a while.

Enjolras had noticed how happy she was. She almost had a glow about her again. She looked so incredible as he watched her dance with Grantaire. She wore a little black dress that accentuated her curves and brought out the darkness in her eyes. Her hair hung in curls around her shoulders and Enjolras couldn't help but relive all the times that he had been able to run his hands through them. If he'd have dreamed of this four months ago he wouldn't have thought that it would be possible. That she would be his; that the feeling of her lips on his was a common one. He had loved her living with him and was pleased that his parents were keeping things civil, mostly. And to think that she may be close to some kind of safety, that everything could be okay for her soon, that made him so incredibly happy that he couldn't help but beam as he watched her.

At the end of the night they stumbled into the house, laughing and giggling and shushing each other while not really meaning it. As they got to the stairs Enjolras pulled her to him and kissed her urgently. It had been the perfect night. She leaned into him and he could hear her sigh happily. He had thought that after a few weeks of kissing her it may seem inconsequential. But every single time they kissed it was like the first time. His stomach would swoop and his heart would thud in his chest. It was a completely unexpected reaction in that every time they kissed he would wonder if it would be the last time it would feel like this.

"I love you." She whispered and his heart swooped again. It was unbelievable. She loved him.

Demi Enjolras had heard them come in of course, it wasn't as if they were being particularly quiet. A herd of elephants may have even been quieter. So she had woken up and continued to hear them rush up the stairs. And she heard only the one door shut.

That morning she creeped up the hall, unsure of why she was doing this. She knew they would be together, it was almost certain that they had been together for most of the nights she had been staying. If she really thought about it, she had wanted to see if her son would really go against the rules like this. She also wanted to make sure that none of them had choked on something in the night. As she opened the door as slowly as she could, so careful not to make any noise or let in too much light. And there they were, curled up together. Eponine's head was resting on her son's chest and his arms were wrapped around the girl. They looked so peaceful. As she watched Enjolras moved slightly and Eponine's eyes opened a little. Demi felt that she should leave but then something made her stay. Eponine was looking at Enjolras who, without opening his eyes, made a small move to press a kiss onto her forehead. It was such a small action, a brilliant piece of understated affection. And with it came the knowledge that her son was in love.

Demi closed the door and walked back down the hall realising that this girl wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Eponine had been awake for a while but stayed still and just lay with Enjolras as he slept. His room was very nice and right now it felt a lot like home. She looked at his bookshelf and smiled as she saw her books mixed in with his, her bracelets and a few other trinkets sat upon the chest of drawers. No one could deny that she wasn't a part of his life anymore. To think that when she had first met him, met the boys the gap between them seemed like a gulf. She never thought that she would fit in with them, or that they would fit in with her. She wasn't sure of the ratio; whether she had changed more or whether they had. But she felt that there had been a merging of worlds in the short time that she had known them. And now the world they all belonged in was completely their own. Custom made to include all of them.

Her phone buzzed under the pillow and quickly slipped a hand under to fish it out. The number was unknown but she decided to take it anyway, she wasn't sure she had everyone's number at her new job yet. "Hello?" She said, her voice a little croaky from the night before.

"Miss Thenarider?" A voice asked. "Your father has been arrested. If you would please come into the station at some point this morning we need you to sign some papers to confirm your amnesty."

"Okay." She said her voice coming out small as she felt the bed jerk violently underneath her. He was gone. He wouldn't be able to get near her again. She was free. The man hung up the phone but she kept the phone to her ear, in a state of shock. She heard Enjolras move behind her.

"What's happened?" he asked, touching her arm.

"My Dad's been arrested." She told him.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

She was sat back in the same room that she had been ushered into before. Except this time, Enjolras was allowed to sit next to her and she didn't have that same feeling of intense dread. The walls were still a little too light for her liking but ever since the phone call she had been standing at a viewpoint where everything looked rose-coloured. She had rushed over to the precinct as soon as she had put down the phone. Enjolras had been on the phone with Grantaire in the car on the way there and he was going to be meeting them out front when they were all done.

The same Detective from before walked into the room with a few other officers who all wore the same smug expression. From what she had gathered, they'd staked out the addresses Eponine had given them, and burst in during the early hours of the morning taking her father and his friends completely by surprise. Eponine had been called once they were all officially in custody so the officers were still reeling from their arrests.

"Miss Thenardier." The detective said smiling. "A pleasure to see you again."

"The information you provided us with led to the eventual arrest of your father and so you will be granted a full pardon for all past crimes." The policewoman who was standing next to the man looked down at her. She had in her hand a stack of papers and Eponine's spine straightened as she realised that what was in fact held in the woman's hands was her freedom. "Of course, this will not count for any future crimes you may commit."

"Of course." Eponine said. "What do I have to do?"

The lady sat down and laid out the forms. There were seemingly hundreds of things she had to sign including a second statement confirming what she had told them before. It all took around half an hour and Eponine's hand shook the entire time. She had never thought that this would happen. She had always thought that she'd been on the run forever.

After the forms had been signed by everyone in the room Eponine stood up to leave. "Just one second." The detective told her. "We have just one more thing that you have to do. It won't take long." He assured her.

She was led into a small room with a large screen taking up most of one room. The rest of the room was black but had a few files strewn over the desk that was sat underneath the screen. "Miss Thenardier, we would like you to identify the man that will be shown to you." A bubble of fear lodged into her throat. She nodded her head and the screen was lit up. Except that it wasn't a screen, it was a window into a small room that looked exactly the same as the one she had just left.

Except, sat at this table, was her father. His beard was overgrown, his eyes looked red and tired and he stared right at the window. His gaze did not falter for a second, Eponine wasn't sure if he was even blinking. "He can't see me right?" she asked and the detective told her that he couldn't. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her father was wearing the same coat he always did. Underneath it looked like he was wearing some kind of pyjamas and Eponine would have laughed had it not been such a tense situation. "That's him." she confirmed and the detective nodded.

Just as she was being shown out she heard his voice shouting, "You think you're safe now little girl? You think I can't get to you anymore? I can get you anywhere 'cos I'm in your blood you fucking rat!" She froze, terrified that he was right. But then the door was opened and she saw Enjolras standing, waiting for her. He smiled at her and suddenly she felt okay. She strode out of the room and followed the detectives as they thanked her and dismissed her.

"Well that certainly was an interesting wake-up call." Grantaire quipped and Eponine laughed. She had been doing a lot of that in the last hour. They had gone straight from the Police Station to McDonalds and were currently getting discounted chicken nuggets thanks to Enjolras' great influence. A part of Eponine still couldn't quite believe that Enjolras worked at McDonalds but she admired him so much for it. He really took it seriously and worked incredibly hard for just a part-time job. He had thrown himself into it and had admitted to Eponine that he actually really enjoyed it. The other employees were apparently really lovely and they were encouraged to work as a team, something that Enjolras found a little tricky but enjoyed. As he went to get them a couple of milkshakes he chatted and laughed with the woman behind the counter who affectionately called him "Pet." Which Eponine found to be quite adorable. He soon walked back over to them laden with drink and more food.

Once he had sat down he grabbed a cup and quickly toasted, "To Eponine!"

"Hear, hear!" Grantaire yelled before quickly chugging the drink. Eponine giggled as she watched before squeezing Enjolras' hand.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

She rested her head on one hand. "It's strange." She tried to explain. "I'm not sure if it's properly sunk in yet, that he's gone and I'm going to be okay."

"You're going to be okay." Enjolras repeated and he beamed at her. "I'd say that's about right."

"And it's got to be one of the best early Christmas presents ever in the history of the world, right?" Grantaire added, a full milky moustache lining his lips. Eponine handed him a tissue as she smiled.

"Very true." She said. "Definitely got to be in at least the top twenty gifts of all time."

"I'd say so." Enjolras replied. "I'm just annoyed because now I have to top putting your father in prison." She laughed as she nicked one of his chips.

"It's a lot to live up to." She agreed.

They chatted for a while before heading back to Enjolras' house and spending the day relaxing, doing homework and informing everyone they could of Eponine's new status as a free woman with a clean record.

A few days after her father's arrest Eponine received a phone call that may have put a slight damper on her good mood. "Miss Thenardier," The voice asked. "We are the prosecution team for your father's case and we would like for you to take the stand in his trial." Eponine tried to keep her spirits up as he continued. "This would just be us asking a few questions in order to create a character study of him. We feel that if his daughter goes on the stand against him it is likely he will be found guilty. And seeing as your statements will already be being used in the trial we feel that you should agree."

"What would this all mean?" She asked. "I would be asked questions about my father and then…?"

"That would be all." The man said. "Take a few hours to decide but we need to know straight away. The judge has determined that the trial will begin within the next few weeks." He left her a number to call once she had made a decision and then he was gone.

Eponine stood still for a moment. She had been having dinner with the Enjolras' when her phone had rung. Once she'd excused herself she had gone into the garden where she now stood, watching the leaves flutter and the sun set. Her main emotion was fear. She was scared of going into court, scared of facing her father and talking in front of the whole court. What if she said something wrong? That could mean the difference between her father going away or getting out. Her whole body shuddered at the thought of him being free again. He would know it was her, he already knew if she was being honest with herself. She wouldn't get off so easy this time, he would find her and probably kill her.

But the man had said that if she took the stand and did everything right it was likely he would go away. She could make sure of it. If she didn't take the stand, there was a possibility that he would be let go. Either way she chose there was an element of risk to it.

She wasn't sure how long she was stood there but the plaid shirt she was wearing did nothing to keep her warm and soon she was shivering, but she didn't want to go back inside. She hadn't decided yet.

Then she heard the back door slide open and turned to see Enjolras Snr walking towards her. That hadn't been what she was expecting. Although she and Enjolras' family had been getting on okay, she had still felt as if they were more putting up with her than really getting along with her.

"Is everything okay Eponine?" He asked as he sidled up next to her.

"I'm not sure." She said deciding to tell the truth. He was a lawyer after all, he could maybe provide some insight.

"Are you going to elaborate?" He asked and she smiled at the abruptness that he shared with his son.

"I've just been asked to take the stand at my father's trial." She told him.

He put his hands into the pocket of the black coat he had flung on. "Ah." He said nodding. "Are you going to say yes?" he asked.

"I'm not sure… I just," She hesitated, wanting to find the right words. "He just has to go to prison. I can't bear the thought of him walking the streets again."

"He won't." He assured her. "Your father is a known criminal, I'm sure the police has mounds of evidence stacked against him."

"So you don't think I would make a difference?"

"I didn't say that." he reminded her. "As a lawyer, I know that a character assassination from a close family member is almost guaranteed to turn a jury away from the defendant. But it's not the only way to win."

"I don't want to mess it up."

"You'll be given the questions in advance, you'll be allowed to practise them, everything will be arranged for you." He paused before turning to look at her. "And you're strong." He told her and she was slightly taken aback. "Don't look surprised. I may not have been completely thrilled about you dating my son but don't mistake that for doubting your character. I knew you were strong and probably quite good for Gabe, I was just wary of your background." He sighed and seemed a little uncomfortable which Eponine secretly enjoyed. "I was clearly wrong to judge you. The fact that you were brave enough to give your father over to the police means that you are easily brave enough to take the stand. I fully believe that you can do and you can trust that because, as you know, I'm rarely nice just for the sake of sparing a person's feelings." She laughed a little at that. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "It doesn't matter what you eventually choose, but don't doubt your strength."

She watched as he shrugged off his coat before placing it on his shoulders and walking back inside.

The offices weren't quite what she was expecting. From TV she assumed that the office walls would almost exclusively be glass and each room would be furnished in luxurious black leather seats and pretty coffee tables with a plant placed here or there for decoration. The room that she was sat in now was incredibly underwhelming. The table in front of her was coffee stained and the walls were plasterboard painted a nice green colour. There was a plant pot in the corner but the plant in it looked incredibly dead, its brown leaves dropping and falling to the floor as Eponine watched. The receptionist had given her a cup of tea and now Eponine was sipping it as she waited for the lawyers to join her. From what she had been able to glean from the receptionist the judge had rushed the trial forwards to miss the Christmas break and to ensure that the defence had less time to build a solid case. Everyone wanted her father to go away it seemed.

The lawyers came in soon after 12:00 and quickly introduced themselves as Ives and Stewart. Ives was extremely tall and that gave the illusion that he was slightly too skinny. He seemed nice with blue eyes and a mouth that had been pulled into a smile since he had walked into the room. Stewart was also tall, but in comparison to his partner he may have been considered small. His shoulders were broad and from the protein shake he was sipping Eponine guessed that the muscular body was not god given. She immediately liked them. They were the complete opposite from what she was expecting, the lawyers she had met before were all Enjolras Snr's friends and they were all far too rich and pompous for her liking.

"So," Ives said leaning forwards in his chair after the pleasantries were worn out. "We already have your statement which is prosecution gold but we need to ask a few questions to get a genuine response from the jury."

"Yep," Stewart said interrupting his partner. "There's a more visceral reaction when they hear things from a person's mouth rather than a piece of paper."

"Exaclty," Ives said seemingly unfazed by his partner's interruption. "Now, what we'd like to include in your questioning is the reveal of the burns."

Eponine's heart thudded and she tried to gather herself quickly. She hadn't really processed the fact that they would have read her statement and therefore known what she had told the detective. "Right." She muttered. "Of course."

"Because that will really blow their balls off." Stewart said and Eponine laughed dryly.

"My partner isn't exactly sensitive, I apologise for him." Ives said clearly registering Eponine's reaction. "We assumed that you would be comfortable with showing them, is that incorrect?"

"No," Eponine said quickly. "That's okay I just… I'm not used to people knowing, that's all."

Stewart at least had the decency to look a little sheepish. "We're only going to be asking you five questions. We'll give them to you today and we'll prepare the outline of your answer together. It will be total honesty but we just have to make sure that you're protecting yourself in this."

"Your amnesty won't count if you admit to a crime under oath in front of witnesses." Ives explained.

"Okay, got it." She told them, reading the questions that had been pushed over to her. They all seemed reasonable, asking about his past, how she felt about him and the violence she had witnesses.

"This is the easy bit," Ives began. "The hard bit is when the defence question you."

Eponine had been pre-warned about this. After she had made her decision she talked to Enjolras' Dad for a while and he took her through what would happen in the court-room.

"It will only be hard because they will be trying to make you forget to think." Stewart explained. "If you take a breath after every question, think about your answer and then say it, you'll be fine."

"You have the truth on your side. "Ives reminded her. "So just stick to that, avoid your past discrepancies and it'll be okay."

Eponine sighed, it will be okay… she hoped.

The couple of weeks leading up to the trial were the most stressful of Eponine's life. As well as school work and her job she had to spend hours and hours sat in that office going over her answers and prepping for the defence questions. She had relived her troubled childhood more times in those two weeks than she had in her life. Eponine felt emotionally and physically drained and it was showing. She and Enjolras barely got to see each other and when they did Eponine was usually so tired that she just cuddled up to him and slept in his arms. He didn't mind, as he kept reminding her this was the last push. The last struggle before everything would be okay. "And then you'll be able to spend so much time with me you'll get bored and dump me for one of those lawyers you'll find yourself missing." He joked on the rare occasion he caught her conscious.

"I very much doubt I'll ever miss them." She said thinking about how Stewart and Ives' voices became more and more monotonous every time she talked to them. The words she had been advised to say had been drilled into her so much that she was actually reciting them in her sleep. Every night she would find herself up on the stand, repeating the words. Sometimes they'd work, other times they wouldn't and she would be woken by Enjolras who would tell her she'd been kicking and screaming in her sleep again. He hated seeing her like this but he had to keep reminding himself that it was only for a couple of weeks and then it would be over.

The night before the trial she couldn't sleep. She hadn't wanted to wake Enjolras so she had pretended to long enough so that he dozed off and she could sneak out of the covers. She sat at his desk and looked out of the window. The stars were shining brightly, for once visible enough that she could distract herself by counting them. She allowed herself to cry about him for the last time. The feeling of intense guilt had not subsided, he was still her father. And now she was working against him to send him to jail. She didn't want to. Or rather, she didn't want to have to. All she had ever wanted was for her parents to be normal. They didn't have to be rich, or incredibly clever or even overly loving. She just wanted them to have a shred of decency, to care about their children. Just to have been there, that would have been enough. But now her family lay tattered, torn apart by her father's cruelty and complete lack of morals. He had hurt them all, and now she had to hurt him. If she could magically click her fingers and make him nice she would. It sounded so childish.

"Ep?" Enjolras called from the bed. She quickly brushed away her tears before she turned to look at him. "Come here." He told her and she obeyed. She crawled back into bed and he took her into his arms. "I love you." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "And I'm so proud of you." She sighed as the tears continued to fall from her eyes. "It's nearly over."

"Do you promise?" she asked, her voice thick with tears.

"I promise." He vowed and he hoped that it was true.

All eyes were on her. She was proud that her legs had held up long enough for her to walk into the wooden box. The court was just as grand as she had imagined and it all felt so familiar to her that part of her thought she must be having another dream. It was only the thudding of her heart that sent shockwaves of nerves through her that reminded her this was real.

"Could you please state your name for the court?" Stewart was dressed in a very expensive looking suit and his hair was slicked back. He looked very professional and quite handsome. Every bit the important lawyer.

"My name is Eponine Thenardier." She stated. The jury were made up of an assortment of faces; male, female, young, old they all stared at her.

"And would you please explain to the jury why you gave up your own father to the police." She dared to glance a look at him. He too was staring at her. His eyes fixed to her face. She hadn't expected to still feel so afraid of him. Even sat in that orange jumpsuit, with handcuffs around his wrists, she was still petrified of him.

"I gave him up because I couldn't let him continue. I knew he was a criminal and I didn't want him to cause any more pain that he already has." Her voice faltered a little a few times but whenever it did she looked at Enjolras and he nodded encouragingly at her.

"And could you describe the kind of crimes you had witnessed your father committing?" Stewart was also looking at her encouragingly.

"He would break into people's houses and steal their belongings. He would take weapons with him with the intent to intimidate if needed."

"How would you describe your father?"

"He's a monster." There was a bit of movement within the jury box. She watched as some jotted things down on a notebook. "He has no care about anyone or anything other than himself. He has not got one ounce of decency or compassion in his bones."

"And what makes you believe this?" Stewart asked. This was the big one.

Eponine took a deep breath. "Because he would hurt me and my siblings. He would physically beat and slap myself and my little sister. We were taken into care and split up but somehow I was put back into the care of my parents. The abuse continued until now. I have photographic evidence of the violence taken towards me." Behind her she knew Ives was projecting photographs of her face, arms, and back all covered in bruises. The audience began to murmur and Eponine couldn't help but look at him. Her father gazed at the photos a blank, disinterested look on his face.

"And is there any physical proof of abuse that you can show to the court right now?" Stewart asked.

"Yes." Eponine said and rolled up her sleeves to reveal the ugly scars for the second time. As she showed her arms to the jury she caught eyes with a woman in the front row who dabbed at her eyes. "When I was eleven my father used my arm to put out his cigarettes." There were audible gasps.

Stewart nodded to her and she put her arm down, suddenly embarrassed. "This shows the kind of careless violence that Mr Thenardier took part in. His physical abuse of his daughter shows sociopathic tendencies, not even caring about his own daughter's pain. This man is a violent criminal and is a danger to everyone that comes into contact with him." Stewart sat down and Eponine was handed over to the defence.

The defence asked a few questions, questioning her motives for giving up her father but Eponine felt that the damage was done. The lawyer couldn't argue with the evidence that was literally burned into her body. They quickly ended their examination and the case moved onto another witness.

Eponine was taken into a small room just off of the courtroom and she was glad for the privacy. For once she was completely alone she broke down. She tried to stifle the sound of her sobs but she wasn't sure how effectively she could do it. Her body shook as she pressed her hand against her mouth. She was so relieved that it was over, so shocked by the fear she had felt and so exhausted. It had felt like she had been sat in that chair for hours. She sat in that room for a while until her tears died down. Her breathing was laboured and she tried to focus on the view outside. She timed her breaths to the wind rustling through the trees and somehow she managed to bring her breathing back to normal.

When she walked back into the courtroom the jury had been dismissed. She had missed her father's turn on the stand and she was glad for it. She wasn't sure if she ever wanted to look into his eyes again. She found Enjolras and sat down next to him, accepting the small kiss and revelling in how sweet that was. He rubbed small circles on the back of her hand. "You were amazing." He told her. "The jury are deciding, they probably won't be done for a while. We can't leave the building but shall we get some food?" She nodded thankful for the distraction. They walked out hand in hand.

The boys were all waiting in the cafeteria for them. As she walked up they all applauded and hollered praise. She smiled and put her hands over her face. She must have looked like a complete mess. Grantaire had already brought her a sandwich and she quickly tucked into it, ferociously hungry all of a sudden.

"God that was so exciting." Joly was saying. "And when you lifted that jumper…" He let out a breath. "Woo! I could have screamed, it was amazing. He could never get out of that one."

"You were brilliant up there Ep." Marius told her. "I don't know how you did it."

"Because she's amazing of course." Cosette said and Eponine smiled again.

They spent what must have been an hour in there just talking about nothing. The boys all tried their best to make Eponine smile and Eponine tried to appreciate it. Enjolras rubbed her back and Cosette held her hand as the hours dragged on and on.

"How long does it take them?" Bahorel asked. He was now lying across one of the cafeteria benches and hanging his head off of the end. "I'm bored." He whined. Joly kicked him.

"How's she doing?" Grantaire asked Enjolras. Eponine was lying on the bench, her head in his lap, completely dead to the world.

"I think she'll be better after today." Enjolras said. "Hopefully." Truth be told he was just as nervous as she was. His insides churned at the prospect of the verdict coming back negatively. "I'm just glad she so exhausted she can sleep through this bit."

"It's a special kind of torture isn't it?" Grantaire said and Enjolras agreed.

A few more minutes passed before anything happened. And then all of a sudden people began to move as one, standing up and filing back through the halls of the court house. Enjolras quickly nudged Eponine awake, not entirely sure what was happening. "Jury's decided. They're calling everyone back in." Enjolras' dad had walked up to them and quickly ushered them back into the room,

There was complete silence as everyone waited for the Judge to come back. Eponine stared at the jury, desperate to find a small hint as to what was about to happen. Their faces gave nothing away and Eponine's heart thudded against her chest. The blood pumping in her ears was deafening as she turned her gaze to the back of her father's head. He was guilty, how could they possibly think he wasn't?

The door opened and the Judge walked in. It seemed like time was creeping so slowly as he moved to sit back down. He then looked to the jury and said. "Has the jury made their decision?"

One man stood up. He was standing at the front of the jury box and had on a pan blue button-up shirt than was slightly too big for him. His brown hair thinned at the top and Eponine couldn't believe that this man had so much power. "The jury has made a unanimous decision." He said. An age past between his sentences. Eponine felt Enjolras slip her hand into his but she couldn't look at him. her vision remained on the man with her future in his hands. "We find the defendant," Eponine took a deep breath. "Guilty of all charges."

Eponine could have screamed. Her whole body felt so light as she watched her father be taken out of the courtroom-still in handcuffs. 23 years. He had been given 23 years in prison. She had at least 20 years of freedom! She could escape! She fell into Enjolras' arms as he held her and laughed with joy.

"You did it." He told her. "I love you so much." He kissed her quickly before saying. "It's over."

She smiled up at him and nodded. "It's over."


End file.
